Trauma Informed Care – beyond the theory

The Substance Abuse and Medical Health Services Administration in the US (SAMHSA) provides a list of 6 trauma- informed principles:

1. Safety
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency
3. Peer Support
4. Collaboration and Mutuality
5. Empowerment, Voice and Choice
6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues

Other similar sets of guidelines have been published however Meagan Corrado argues the following should also be kept in mind when providing trauma informed care to clients:

1. There is no formula for trauma-informed care. 

1. Trauma informed care requires that we renounce an “us versus them” approach and acknowledge that we are all in this together. 

1. Going to one trauma training does not make an individual or an organisation trauma-informed. 

1. Trauma informed care is just as much about the staff as it is about the clients. 

1. Being trauma informed does not necessarily mean that you have to directly talk to clients about the traumas they have been through. 

1. Being trauma informed does not mean that we have to be perfect.

Read more here.

And read more about SAMHSA’s concept and guidance for a Trauma-Informed approach here