Trauma informed care ?: A new type of care

What is trauma informed care ?

Introduction

There are few topics in the field of mental health that have received as much attention in recent years as trauma informed care.

So, what exactly does it mean? And how can you apply this approach to your practice or workplace? If you are looking to learn more about trauma informed care, read this blog.

You will find everything you need to know in this  blog, on what it means to be trauma informed and how you can help your patients or employees heal through this approach to treatment.

Trauma informed care, or TIC, describes the effort to identify signs of trauma in individuals who have experienced some sort of negative event, such as abuse or neglect.

The concept was developed by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 1990s after studying childhood maltreatment, which has proven effects that extend into adulthood and can lead to substance abuse and mental health issues.

If you think about it, most people can probably relate to experiencing stress or anxiety when they have been involved in some kind of traumatic incident such as an assault or robbery.

Why is there so much trauma in society?

If you are going to effectively implement trauma informed care into your facility, it is important that you understand what trauma is and how it effects individuals.

 In simple words, trauma occurs when an individual has been exposed to a psychologically traumatic event.

This exposure can cause feelings of anxiety and fear even in non-threatening situations.

Additionally, these psychological injuries can manifest themselves physically; those who have experienced a traumatic event often relive it mentally through flashbacks or develop physical symptoms such as headaches or unexplained chest pains.

Trauma-informed care is a model of professional care that recognizes everyone experiences some level of trauma at some point in their lives and focuses on creating an environment where patients feel safe enough to openly discuss their experience.

How does it impact people and how can you help them?

All trauma affects different people in different ways. We know that stress can negatively impact a person’s health and is related to heart disease, cancer, depression, anxiety and suicide.

But why does it happen? Why do some people experience more stress than others? And what are we doing about it as a society? The concept of trauma informed care answers these questions.

It looks at how long-term trauma from adverse childhood experiences persone’s life and also describes interventions to alleviate such symptoms and prevent future generations from experiencing them.

The intervention portion of trauma informed care is not just talking about support groups or counseling.  It incorporates an understanding of how childhood trauma can become generational if not addressed, in order to help ensure a healthier future for all involved.

How can we provide better support to patients with trauma histories?

Trauma informed care (TIC) is an approach to service delivery that recognizes and responds to children’s, adolescents’ and adults’ responses to adversity in order to stabilize symptoms and heal from trauma.

When providing services for clients with trauma histories, it is important for staff at all levels of a healthcare system or institution to be educated about trauma, what it looks like, how it affects people of different ages (and different development/life stages), and how best to provide care for those affected by trauma.

Trauma informed care recognizes three major components:

1-Establishing trust between caregiver and patient.

 2-Creating a safe environment.

3-Providing opportunities for appropriate attachment behaviors.

What are some techniques for supporting your patient with traumas?

Supporting your patient with traumas requires a very individualized response that may include some form of debriefing or processing.

However, trauma-informed care is more than just helping a person get over their trauma. Instead, it is about helping someone understand and cope with their experiences in order to live their life as fully as possible.

How you do, that will depend on your patient’s specific needs and how they were affected by trauma.

When should you refer your patient for extra support if needed?

Sometimes, trauma or stressful events in a person’s life can be too much to overcome alone.

Fortunately, there are many types of support available that can help these individuals heal. When should you refer your client for extra support? First and foremost, if you feel they are at immediate risk of harming themselves or others, you should provide immediate help right away.

However, it is important to remember that patients do not always know when they need more help than what you can provide in your session together.

One way to determine whether extra support is needed is by asking yourself two questions: First, Will my patient be safe from harm until our next session? Second, What will be the condition of the patient, when all session are over.

Conclusion:

When you think of the word inform, you might imagine a teacher instructing their students on new information or informing them about the assignment for the next day.

Trauma informed care has similar aspects to it in that, it helps healthcare professionals to inform their patients about their care and how they can work together in order to treat each other’s medical needs successfully.

It allows patients to learn more about their injuries and illnesses while also providing them with new coping mechanisms and self-soothing techniques.