The Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
When you’re supporting a young person, every single part of their story is relevant. Sometimes, our society tends to shy away from challenging situations. But anyone working with children or teenagers professionally, from health worker to teachers, need to have a complete picture of their lives before any effective care can be provided.
Reacting and responding to trauma isn’t easy, but sometimes it’s the only way forward. This can be a delicate subject matter, but trauma-informed care seeks to lead with empathy, addressing difficult histories without ever re-traumatising or hurting a vulnerable young person. Continue reading as we outline the five key principles of trauma-informed care.
This blog discusses the importance of trauma-informed care and the foundations of its philosophy. For personalised advice, contact our team at The Nest Health Hub today.
What is Trauma Informed Care?
While you may have heard this phrase thrown about before, you mightn’t have a grounded understanding of what ‘ trauma-informed care’ actually refers to. Essentially, this is a modern therapeutic approach that prioritises focus on how trauma can have long-lasting effects on patients. Treatment plans and strategies are informed by the psychological, emotional, social, physical, and neurological consequences of suffering trauma.
As mental health care providers and educators inform their approaches with the previous experiences of a patient, they can offer a greater sense of empathy. Traumatic experiences from childhood have the capacity to influence symptoms and conditions presented later in life that seem entirely unassociated.
Why is Trauma Informed Care So Vital?
Trauma runs deep. It can dictate psychological health, impacting future problems that we may not even realise tie back to childhood experiences. Untreated trauma will continue to hinder and hurt individuals through their social, emotional, and physical development throughout life - offering care and treatment that understands this is an effective route forward.
Trauma-informed care redefines the relationship between young people and the authority figures in their lives, from psychologists to educators. This dynamic can become a partnership in which care providers can be a support system and safety net as a young person heals and grows from their trauma. Providing trauma-informed care is so crucial as it provides:
Recognition of traumatic experiences
Acknowledgement of how prevalent trauma is
Response to how trauma can affect everyone involved
Greater knowledge and understanding which can then be put into practice
Individualised treatment tailored to the patient’s needs
The Five Principles
While trauma-informed care is a complicated practice, there are five key principles that form the foundation. This philosophy can seem daunting, but so long as you keep each of these values at the core of your care and support at all times, you give yourself a better chance of helping those impacted by trauma.
#1 - Safety
Do not harm. This is the heart of care, education, and support for all young people. When somebody has gone through any level of trauma, they’re likely to feel unsafe or scared quicker than somebody who hasn’t might. First and foremost, your job is to create a space where they can be completely assured of their emotional and physical safety.
#2 - Trustworthiness
As a mental health worker, teacher, or carer of a young person, you need to be consistent. Clear expectations and boundaries will create an environment in which a young person feels that they won’t be surprised or caught off guard, something vital for anyone who’s been through trauma. An authority figure needs to prove they are trustworthy and safe to be around, and only then will children or teenagers feel safe to open up and show vulnerability. Nothing will happen until you can prove yourself worthy of trust.
#3 - Collaboration
At the heart of trauma-informed care is a belief that healing is a collaborative project. There is no strict set of rules to abide by. Instead, lead by listening. The young person you work with has a unique experience and set of needs - your job is to provide the support that works for them. Trauma-informed care is intuitive, responsive, and empathetic.
#4 - Empowerment
Trauma can leave people feeling helpless and vulnerable. Appropriate care should have the ultimate goal of helping young people to discover the strength within themselves, creating ways to cope that they will be able to rely on for the rest of their lives. Empower them to unveil their own resilience and capacity, teaching that the effects of trauma can be managed with time.
#5 - Cultural Awareness
There is a wide range of circumstances and biases that can affect a young person’s experience - and these need to play a role in any care provided. Race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, culture, historical trauma, class… none of these things can be ignored. Solid trauma-informed care needs to not only recognise these factors, but address them and incorporate them into treatment as needed.
Trauma-Informed Care Training with The Nest Health Hub
At The Nest Health Hub, we believe that trauma-informed care is a crucial practice. As a part of our commitment to caring for children and teenagers, we provide training programs to help people such as health professionals and educators to get a strong foundation in trauma-informed care. If you work with young people, knowing how to appropriately support them is absolutely vital. Contact our team today to learn more about our trauma training services.
