traumainformed

Trauma-informed practice is an approach used across health care, education, social services, and criminal justice that acknowledges the high prevalence of traumatic experiences and their effects on thoughts, feelings, and behavior. It aims to avoid re-traumatization, promote safety, and support recovery by asking what happened to people rather than what is wrong with them. It emphasizes that organizations and practitioners should adapt policies, environments, and interactions to be sensitive to trauma histories and to empower clients.

Guiding principles include safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender responsiveness. These principles guide all elements of care, from intake processes to service planning, staffing, and physical environments. Common components include staff training; universal precautions to reduce triggers; trauma screening with consent; choice in services; and stakeholder feedback.

Trauma-informed care is not a specific therapy; rather, it is a framework for organizing services and relationships around the recognition of trauma and its effects. Evidence suggests improvements in engagement and outcomes in some settings, but research quality and applicability vary. Implementation requires organizational commitment, leadership, ongoing training, and routine evaluation to ensure practices reduce harm and support healing.