Trauma-informed care is a phrase that you've probably heard come up more often in recent years. You may have heard it come up regarding therapy, healthcare, education and maybe even in workplaces. But trauma-informed care isn't just a buzzword; it's an important and necessary shift in how we understand and support people who have gone through traumatic and overwhelming experiences.
Trauma is more common than we'd like to believe. People carry and hold onto emotional wounds from situations like childhood neglect, abuse, violence, medical trauma, grief and more. And most of the time, these emotional wounds aren't even visible to others.
Trauma can negatively impact the way that someone acts, behaves, thinks, feels, trusts, and responds to stress. Unfortunately, a lot of traditional systems aren't set up with this in mind, and something like a routine doctor's visit, a policy in school or in the workplace, or a therapy session could unintentionally trigger something.
Trauma-informed care works to change these traditional systems. Let's learn more about trauma-informed care and what else it does.
What Is Trauma-Informed Care?
Trauma-informed care is an approach that acknowledges that trauma can impact someone's emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Instead of the common question of "what's wrong with you?", it digs deeper to ask "what happened to you?" This shift helps to guide professionals on how to respond to you based on your unique experiences. Trauma-informed care doesn't mean knowing someone's full medical history or traumatic story. It's about treating each person with the sensitivity and understanding that trauma could be part of their past experience.
The Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
The principles of trauma-informed care guide the delivery of professional services. These are the key principles of trauma-informed care:
Safety
The individuals receiving the care, as well as the professional providing the care, should both feel safe and secure in the environment, emotionally and physically.
Trustworthiness and Transparency
Through clear and consistent communication, honest interactions and open decision-making processes, building stronger trust is possible.
Peer Support
Trauma-informed care sees the value in shared experiences and connecting individuals with similar lived experiences to act as their support system.
Collaboration and Mutuality
There is a collaboration and partnership between the individual and the professional in the decisions being made.
Empowerment
Trauma-informed care recognizes the unique experience of each individual and the personalized approach required for treatment. Empowering one another's voice and choices is an important aspect of this form of care.
Cultural, Historical and Gender Awareness
Trauma-informed care works to move past any cultural, historical or gender stereotypes and biases.
The Benefits of Trauma-Informed Care
There are many different benefits to trauma-informed care:
Creates a more inclusive, healing, and respectful environment
Encourages people to reach out for help and receive care
Helps professionals avoid burnout
Improves communication and trust
Reduces retraumatization
Why Trauma-Informed Care is Important
Trauma is more common than you may think. It doesn't look the same for each person who experiences it. It depends on their own unique experience, history, personality, and more. When any type of trauma is left untreated, it can lead to worsening signs, symptoms and mental health issues. Trauma-informed care acknowledges this and provides a sense of safety, security and nonjudgmental care. Leading with compassion, patience and respect is a key component of this form of care.
Regardless of whether you're a working professional or someone who is trying to show up each day as a more supportive version of yourself, embracing the approach of trauma-informed care can make all the difference. Trauma-informed care isn't about just fixing people. It's about meeting them where they are so that they feel safe enough to heal. Reach out today to set up an initial consultation.