The 6 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
| 7 Min Read
The impacts of trauma are felt by people in every community. Seventy percent of adults have lived through a traumatic event, and more than 90% of public behavioral health clients have experienced its effects, according to the National Council on Behavioral Health. To address this widespread challenge, human services professionals need training on trauma-informed care and the six principles that comprise it.
What Is Trauma-Informed Care?
According to the journal Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services, trauma-informed care “is an intervention and organizational approach that focuses on how trauma may affect an individual’s life and his or her response to behavioral health services from prevention through treatment.”
When engaging in trauma-informed care, it’s essential for human services professionals to understand that trauma affects everyone. As such, they must account for trauma during every client interaction, from the pre-screening process through resource delivery. While this approach is challenging, following the six principles of trauma-informed care helps with providing optimal support to individuals impacted by trauma.
What Are the 6 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care?
As outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the six principles of trauma-informed care are:
1. Safety
Unsafe conditions can sap a client’s motivation to commit to behavioral change. When human services professionals emphasize safety within environments where they engage clients, they increase the likelihood of positive responses to interventions and services.
When supporting people impacted by trauma, practitioners must guarantee more than physical safety. As outlined by PACEs Connection, an organization that raises awareness of trauma, mitigating the effects of trauma must also consider:
- Psychological safety: Assure clients they are safe to take risks
- Emotional safety: Ensure clients feel valued and respected
- Social safety: Instill a sense of belonging in clients
- Moral safety: Demonstrate a shared belief in what is right and wrong
Accounting for each type of safety requires paying close attention to client stress and discomfort. Alleviating those feelings can encourage clients to embrace treatment plans and commit to the recovery process.
2. Trust and Transparency
Building trust is an integral part of trauma-informed care because it helps clients feel they can rely on the people supporting them. Being transparent helps in that regard, as open and honest dialogue establishes credibility while setting realistic expectations for how clients can cope with trauma.
It’s crucial to establish trust among everyone involved in providing trauma-informed care, from clients and their families to counselors and support staff, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Moreover, treatment plans must involve forthright communication that stresses accountability for each stakeholder.
3. Peer Support
This principle shows there is strength in numbers for people who have experienced trauma. As described by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), seeking peer support encourages people to rely on others who understand their situations while fostering mutual self-help that fuels resilience.
Fulfilling this principle helps individuals see that they need not confront their trauma in isolation. It also builds community by encouraging people to share strategies for recovering from traumatic experiences, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
4. Collaboration
Focusing on collaboration allows practitioners to work with clients and support staff as a team — instead of acting as an authority who merely provides instructions. According to Health Expectations, ways to collaborate when providing trauma-informed services include:
- Engaging in shared decision-making
- Establishing relationships with organizations that offer assistance
- Partnering with experts to improve client support systems
Collaboration urges clients to invest in the guidance they receive, elevating the impact it has on their lives. Additionally, working as a team expands the rapport between clients and practitioners, who gain greater insight into the perspectives of the people they support.
5. Empowerment, Voice, and Choice
For many, trauma can feel like a loss of control and agency. As discussed by the Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma, reversing those feelings through empowerment helps clients regain their autonomy when facing important decisions. Opportunities for achieving this goal include:
- Focusing on strengths and resiliency so that clients understand that traumatic experiences do not define them
- Engaging clients in making each decision concerning services and treatments
- Instilling coping skills by exploring previous ways clients have navigated painful situations
It also helps to focus on restorative responses to harm that clients may have caused. For instance, if a client has engaged in behavior that fractured bonds with loved ones, practitioners can offer solutions for repairing those relationships. This approach is more empowering than punishments that cause shame and prevent recovery.
6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues
Considering cultural, historical, and gender issues helps human services professionals align support according to each individual’s needs. This principle emphasizes the importance of providing gender-responsive care, taking time to understand traumatic histories, and recognizing that cultural ties can contribute positively to recovery.
One way to follow this principle is by practicing cultural humility, which encourages practitioners to look past biases when engaging clients, according to the Center for Health Care Strategies. Practicing cultural humility helps establish trust with clients, facilitating open communication about traumatic experiences and creating a relationship focused on optimal care.
How the Trauma-Informed Care Principles Apply Across Industries
The principles of trauma-informed care offer a dynamic framework for assisting people who have suffered emotional and physical injury. Let’s explore how organizations in different fields can apply them when helping clients begin the path to recovery.
Trauma-Informed Social Work
It’s common for social workers to assist clients who have experienced trauma. According to a Social Work article, the trauma-informed care principles help social workers provide “services in a manner that recognizes the emotional vulnerability of trauma survivors, and most importantly, the worker avoids inadvertently repeating dynamics of abusive interactions in the helping relationship.” Following these principles also aids in empowering clients to acquire and reinforce skills for healing and behavioral change.
Trauma-Informed Health Care
Adopting trauma-informed care principles is central to patient-centered communication and care, according to the Official Journal of Issues in Nursing. As such, it’s vital for health care professionals to understand how trauma affects health and seek ways to facilitate coping strategies. This approach also helps with educating and advising patients in nonjudgmental ways, establishing rapport, and improving health outcomes.
Trauma-Informed Education
The National Education Association identified trauma-informed education as a framework for creating “safe, welcoming, and inclusive” environments for students who struggle with learning and behavior after traumatic events. Many of these students withdraw socially in part because the lingering effects of trauma make them feel unsafe. By prioritizing student welfare and security in classrooms, educators can impart resilience and confidence, foster skill development, and pave the way for academic success.
Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice
SAMHSA offers trauma-informed care training that helps criminal justice professionals respond to emergencies with a firm understanding of the ramifications of trauma. The organization stresses the importance of affirming how trauma affects each person and lessening the likelihood of retraumatizing individuals when responding to calls in their communities.
Trauma-Informed Corporate Wellness
Trauma has affected workers in every field, including the private sector. By building awareness of how trauma impacts employees, organizational leaders can create workplace cultures in which employees feel safe and supported. With assistance from corporate wellness teams, workers can access tutorials for self-care strategies and seek in-network therapy options.
Prepare to Support People Impacted by Trauma
If you’re interested in advancing in a helping profession, building awareness of the trauma-informed care principles will serve you well. That said, it’s important to continue extending your expertise in how trauma affects people in your community, as well as strategies for building resilience.
By pursuing your M.A. in Human Services – Trauma, Resilience, and Self-Care Strategies with CSP Global, you’ll learn evidence-based intervention strategies that enhance the support you deliver to clients. The online courses explore the neurobiology of trauma, forensic behavioral health aspects of trauma, and more while preparing you to engage in trauma-informed practice.
Request information today to see what you can achieve with CSP Global. You’ll complete each course in a convenient online format that enables you to continue your education on your terms.