What is trauma-informed care?

Experiencing trauma, especially during childhood, significantly increases the risk of serious health problems — including chronic lung, heart, and liver disease as well as depression, sexually transmitted diseases, tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug abuse1, 2, 3— throughout life. Childhood trauma is also linked to increases in social service costs. 5 Implementing trauma-informed approaches to care may help health care providers engage their patients more effectively, thereby offering the potential to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable costs for both health care and social services. Trauma informed approaches to care shift the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”  (SAMHSA).

How can you practice trauma -informed care?  

• By realizing the widespread impact of trauma and understanding potential paths for recovery; 
• By recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in individual clients, families, and staff; 
• By integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and 
• By seeking to actively resist re-traumatization (i.e., avoid creating an environment that inadvertently reminds patients of their traumatic experiences and causes them to experience emotional and biological stress) 

The 5 Principles of Trauma-informed care

1.  Patient empowerment: Using individuals’ strengths to empower them in the development of their treatment
2. Choice: Informing patients regarding treatment options so they can choose the options they prefer 
3. Collaboration: Maximizing collaboration among health care staff, patients, and their families in organizational and treatment planning; 
4. Safety: Developing health care settings and activities that ensure patients’ physical and emotional safety
5. Trustworthiness: Creating clear expectations with individuals