Defining Trauma-Informed

For over 25 years, researchers and practitioners working in health and human services have articulated and implemented trauma-informed approaches to care, including workforce management and day-to-day operations.

According to a 2015 article in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, trauma-informed care “has emerged as a broad approach to human services systems in which all aspects of program culture and service delivery are designed to be responsive to the effects of trauma.”

In addition to health and human services, trauma-informed and trauma-aware practices are now recognized in educational and correctional systems as well.

Trauma-Informed Principles

While trauma-informed frameworks and approaches vary by discipline and industry, a general framework can be found in the SAMHSA Treatment Improvement Protocol. SAMHSA advances a social-ecological model for understanding trauma and its effects as being influenced by individual, interpersonal, community/ organizational, societal, and temporal factors.

According to SAMHSA, the six principles of a trauma-informed approach are:

• Safety

• Trustworthiness and transparency

• Peer support

• Collaboration and mutuality

• Empowerment, voice, and choice

• Cultural, historical, and gender issues

Expanding the Framework

Practitioners and researchers have since mapped these principles to their respective disciplines or areas of study.

For example, “safety” in the context of an organization for survivors of domestic violence might translate to a “welcoming environment” with “comfortable sofas and chairs, a selection of magazines, toys or coloring books for children.” In a behavioral health setting, “choice” can mean expressing preferences for “interventions for problem behavior” or the “choice to not participate in treatment whatsoever.” In a correctional facility, “peer support” can look like peer-led discussion groups and therapeutic retreats focused on inner healing.

Ultimately, regardless of the context or application, trauma-informed approaches are successful when addressed through both policy and processes. Trauma-informed communications is no different; merely swapping out one word for another in an email is not trauma-informed communications. Programs must have a coherent strategy, operational rigor, and, critically, executive buy-in.