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

Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute HERE