![]() ![]() Next, the individual needs to know that the provider is trustworthy. Ensuring that the physical and emotional safety of an individual is addressed is the first important step to providing Trauma-Informed Care. The Five Guiding Principles are safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment. Rather than providing a set of practices and procedures, the principles can be interpreted and applied in ways that are appropriate for a specific type of service setting. These principles are generalizable across a variety of service settings. Trauma-Informed Care follows five Guiding Principles that serve as a framework for how service providers and systems of care can work to reduce the likelihood of re-traumatization. Re-traumatization may also occur when interfacing with individuals who have history of historical, inter-generational and/or a cultural trauma experience. Individuals with multiple trauma experiences often exhibit a decreased willingness to engage in treatment. Re-traumatization is a significant concern, as individuals who are traumatized multiple times frequently have exacerbated trauma-related symptoms compared to those who have experienced a single trauma. There are some “obvious” practices that could be re-traumatizing such as the use of restraints or isolation, however, less obvious practices or situations that involve specific smells, sounds or types of interactions may cause individuals to feel re-traumatized. Re-traumatization is often unintentional. The potential for re-traumatization exists in all systems and in all levels of care: individuals, staff and system/organization. Re-traumatization is any situation or environment that resembles an individual’s trauma literally or symbolically, which then triggers difficult feelings and reactions associated with the original trauma. The intention of Trauma-Informed Care is not to treat symptoms or issues related to sexual, physical or emotional abuse or any other form of trauma but rather to provide support services in a way that is accessible and appropriate to those who may have experienced trauma. When service systems operating procedures do not use a trauma-informed approach, the possibility for triggering or exacerbating trauma symptoms and re-traumatizing individuals increases. Trauma-Informed Care requires a system to make a paradigm shift from asking, “What is wrong with this person?” to “What has happened to this person?” Similar to the change in general protocol regarding universal precautions, Trauma-Informed Care practice and awareness becomes almost second nature and pervasive in all service responses. On an organizational or systemic level, Trauma-Informed Care changes organizational culture to emphasize respecting and appropriately responding to the effects of trauma at all levels. Trauma-Informed Care recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma may play in an individual’s life- including service staff. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is an approach in the human service field that assumes that an individual is more likely than not to have a history of trauma.
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