Trauma Informed Care

You may have heard the term Trauma Informed Care, a popular term lately. A simple way of describing Trauma Informed Care is to say that I recognize the likelihood that anyone coming to me has experienced trauma and that trauma might be affecting their choices and behavior. As a counselor my responsibility is to provide safety, clear options and consent for each choice along the way.  

These are some of the ways I practice Trauma Informed Care. 

  • Giving options: Offering a variety of strategies until the client finds one that works.

  • Going at the client's pace; accepting people where they are and understanding how much change they can manage.

  • Listening to understand all the factors that are bringing a person to where they are; exploring emotional, mental, sexual, relational and medical root causes and then providing clear choices. 

  • Paying attention to the counseling environment and how it might trigger trauma.

  • Providing clear communication and following up at the agreed upon time. 

  • Providing referrals and resources (that have been vetted for efficacy) as well as advocacy when needed.

  • Staying relaxed when clients are flooded or overwhelmed.

  • Being honest and humble about topics that are out of my scope.

According to the Trauma Informed Care Implementation Resource Center Trauma-informed care shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” The principles of Trauma Informed Care are Safety, Trust, Choice, Voice, Strength & Resilience (Enns, 2023).

For More Info Check Out Trauma Informed Care Implementation Resource Center HERE

or

Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute HERE