LibGuides: Trauma-Informed Care: Trauma-Informed Care

What is Trauma-Informed Care?

The goal of trauma-informed care is to...(1,2)

Recognize signs/symptoms of trauma in patients, families, and staff
Understand the multifaceted impacts of trauma on a life and facilitate recovery
Incorporate trauma-informed approaches into policy, procedure, and practice
Avoid re-traumatization or any additional harm

Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

The Guiding Principles in Action

The trauma-informed care framework highlights 6 key principles, expanded upon in the table below(4):

Principle	Description and Examples
Safety	The physical setting of the office or clinic promotes feelings of safety. Patients, staff, and professionals feel mentally and physically safe from harm.
Trustworthiness and Transparency	Operations and care decisions are made transparently. An importance is placed on the building and maintenance of trust with patients and patient's family.
Peer Support	Establishing connections between patients and others who have also experienced trauma (peers). Utilizes lived experience of patient and peers. Works to decrease feelings of isolation.
Collaboration and Mutuality	Staff and patient/client work together in a partnership - the playing field is leveled. Removes the hierarchy of power between clinician and patient, which can be intimidating (even moreso for survivors of trauma). Power is shared and patient's input is valued in decision-making.
Empowerment, Voice, and Choice	Importance is placed on the strengths, resilience, and experiences of the patient. Empowerment initiatives are led to strengthen both staff and clients, including workforce development, shared decision-making, choice, and goalsetting. Give patients a sense of agency and opportunities for self-advocacy. Staff are able to work well with organizational supports. When staff feel safe, patients feel safe.
Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues	Acknowledging that certain cultural groups have, historically, have experienced medical trauma due to stereotype, bias, and policies. Encourages culturally responsive care for all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages, religions, and gender identities. Facilitate protective and responsive policies and practices that emphasize this.

Resources on Trauma-Informed Care

The following linked books, articles, and websites provide additional information on TIC's importance, goals, and implementation.

Key Ingredients for Successful Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Issue brief for the advancement of TIC.
Resources for Becoming Trauma-Informed Leading health care professionals across the country are recognizing the value of a trauma-informed approach to care. Understanding and adopting a trauma-informed approach — at both the clinical and organization level — can help organizations more effectively address the needs of patients. The following resources can help guide health care organizations in adopting best practices for addressing trauma.
The Road to Trauma-Informed Care Trauma-Informed Care understands and considers the pervasive nature of trauma and promotes environments of healing and recovery rather than practices and services that may inadvertently re-traumatize.
Trauma-Informed Care - American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical report on TIC from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services This TIP provides evidence-based and best practice information for behavioral health service providers and administrators who want to work more effectively with people who have been exposed to acute and chronic traumas and/or are at risk of developing traumatic stress reactions. Using key trauma-informed principles, this TIP addresses trauma-related prevention, intervention, and treatment issues and strategies in behavioral health services. The content is adaptable across behavioral health settings that service individuals, families, and communities—placing emphasis on the importance of coordinating as well as integrating services.
Trauma-Informed Care Quick Guide This Quick Guide is based entirely on information contained in TIP 57, published in 2014. No additional research has been conducted to update this topic since publication of TIP 57.