Trauma-informed care focuses on the impact that psychological trauma has on individuals’ behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and reception of professional treatment. Trauma-informed therapists approach their clients with the assumption that they have a trauma history and put their focus on building a safe and comfortable environment in order to ease them into the treatment and avoid unintentionally triggering or re-traumatizing them.
The Definition of Trauma
Psychological trauma is not limited to an experience of a physically or mentally violent event. It has many forms, and it can affect each person differently. There is no one specific way in which people can react to it. Psychological trauma can also occur even if you’re not the one who’s directly experiencing the traumatizing event. Sometimes, witnessing other people’s tragic situations can traumatize you as well. Other times, it can be a result of one’s exposure to adverse events for a long period; it can traumatize them mentally and emotionally.
Further Details
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente Insurance have been studying the impact of ongoing stressors on youth, which are also called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). According to their research, these experiences have a high potential of causing physical health issues, mental illnesses, and even early death. The experiences include physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, physical or emotional neglect, living with a family member or caretaker who is struggling with mental health or substance abuse, witnessing violence against one of the parents, having a family member in prison, losing a parent because of separation and divorce or death, racial trauma, and so much more.
These experiences all can be part of one’s history of trauma. Trauma-informed therapists primarily try to understand where your trauma comes from before studying its effect on you and finding a suitable intervention for your case.
Techniques of Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed therapy does not strictly follow a specific set of interventions. In this type of therapy, the therapist would work closely on tailoring interventions that are specifically helpful in the context of the client’s psychological trauma history, triggers, and needs. The therapist would take into consideration the effect that one’s trauma history has on their emotions and functionality in their day-to-day life.
In some cases, therapists might even tackle the intergenerational trauma and try to unpack the long-term effect it might have had. Nonetheless, there are certain requirements trauma-informed therapists have to stick to when conducting their treatment regardless of the type of interventions they opt for.
Therapist Requirements
Offering A Safe Environment: Trauma-informed therapists must prioritize the individuals’ safety, physically and emotionally. Mostly, in the first session, they communicate with their clients about their psychological trauma history and ensure that the sessions will progress at the client’s pace. They do not want their clients to recall specific details of their trauma when they are not yet equipped to face them.
The Client Has An Active Role: In trauma-informed therapy, the clients are not passive individuals throughout the session; they are not merely receiving instructions from the therapist. Instead, the therapist must ensure that the clients are as involved in the process by educating them and explaining all the options they have. The client must have an active role in choosing the suitable intervention for them.
Maintaining Honesty and Transparency: Trauma-informed therapists must be completely open and honest with their clients to keep them on the same page. As this type of therapy is collaborative between the client and the therapist, they need to tackle all the necessary details straightforwardly. The client always has a choice in how the process advances.
Being Competent and Professional: Not every therapist is a trauma-informed therapist. So, clients are allowed to ask and investigate thoroughly before settling with one. Trauma-informed therapy is a complicated process, and not all therapists are equipped for it. Trauma-based therapists must always be up-to-date in research and the best interventions with clients who experienced trauma. They must be flexible, and mindful of all the different factors that influence the clients’ treatment process.
Final Thoughts
In today’s world, everyone is fighting a battle against forces that might be invisible to the rest of the people around them. If you have experienced any type of traumatic event in your life, you must know that you do not have to live eternally in the shadow of it, acknowledge it and ask for the help you deserve. Many resources are created solely to assist you in moving forward healthily and taking it one step at a time. Trauma-informed therapy is one of these resources. Seek help and offer yourself a chance to breathe easier.
Disclaimer: This article is intended simply to provide information. It does not replace the medical advice of a physician. Please speak with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
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