6 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

1. Safety. Patients need to feel safe while they are in the care of nurses and other medical professionals. …
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency. Nurses need to be transparent with patients to build a sense of trustworthiness, especially when patients have suffered traumatic events such as domestic violence, assault or …
3. Peer Support. To provide trauma-informed care, nurses, doctors and other medical professionals must thoroughly understand various traumatic conditions and how they affect patient care.
4. Collaboration and Mutuality. Nurses and medical organizations should view patients as partners in the effort to develop treatment plans.
5. Empowerment, Voice and Choice. Nurses work to empower patients who have experienced trauma to take back control of their health. …

Reference: onlinenursing.duq.edu/blog/what-are-the-6-principles-of-trauma-informed-care/

The experience of trauma has a widespread impact on the lives of those we serve. Trauma can lead to or exacerbate mental illness, substance use, and physical health conditions.  In a truly integrated, whole health system of care, effective treatment must involve addressing the impact of trauma.

Trauma-Informed Care is how we can address these concerns and position our organizations to meet the demands of our ever-changing healthcare.

ACES screen Tool is completed at intake and Resiliency exercises are incorporated into treatment planning and group/individual sessions.

The National Council for Behavioral Health
Seven Domains of Trauma-Informed Care
The National Council’s Seven Domains of Trauma-Informed Care model is built on the following
core values and principles reflected in a trauma-informed care organization:
Safe, calm, and secure environment with supportive care
System-wide understanding of trauma prevalence, impact, and trauma-informed care
Cultural competence
Consumer voice, choice, and self-advocacy
Recovery, consumer-driven and trauma-specific services
Healing, hopeful, honest, and trusting relationships
Domain 1 – Early Screening and Comprehensive Assessment
Develop and implement a respectful screening and assessment process that is routine,
competently done, culturally relevant, and sensitive.
Domain 2 – Consumer-Driven Care and Services
Involve and engage people who are or have been recipients of our services to play numerous
roles in our organizations and to meaningfully participate in planning, implementing and
evaluating our improvement efforts.
Domain 3 – Trauma-Informed, Educated, and Responsive Workforce
Increase the awareness, knowledge, and skills of the entire workforce to deliver services that are
effective, efficient, timely, respectful, and person-centered. Implement policies, procedures and
practices that build and sustain a trauma-informed workforce.
Domain 4 – Trauma-Informed, Evidence-Based, and Emerging Best Practices
Increase awareness, knowledge, and skills of the clinical workforce to deliver research-informed
treatment services that address effects associated with trauma and honor the core principles of
trauma-informed care.
Domain 5 – Safe and Secure Environments
Increase the awareness, knowledge, and skills of the workforce to create safe, trusting and
healing environments. Examine and change policies, procedures, and practices that may
unintentionally cause distress and may re-traumatize those we serve.
Domain 6 – Community Outreach and Partnership Building
Recognize that the people we serve are part of and affected by other systems, and thus assume
a leadership role in educating and engaging partners in trauma-informed care.
Domain 7 – Ongoing Performance Improvement and Evaluation
Ensure a system is in place to measure performance in each domain. Track, analyze, and review
data to address challenges and/or reinforce progress.