Trauma Informed Care

Retraumatization

A reactivation of traumatic responses whenever clients are exposed to their traumatic histories or triggers without sufficient tools or support to manage emotional, behavioral, and physical reactions​

Retraumatization Examples

• Procedures that isolate individuals or are in small spaces​

• Physical exams that involve touching or the removal of clothes​

• Being placed in a room without a lock or in a situation where people walk in and out of one’s room without knocking​

• Sitting on a patient’s bed without being invited to do so and refusing to move if they ask you to​

• Being exposed to triggers with no means of separation or escape​

Trauma-Informed Care

• Safety

• Trustworthiness and transparency

• Peer support

• Collaboration and mutuality

• Empowerment, voice, change

• Cultural, historical, and gender issues

Secondary Traumatic Stress

Trauma resulting from caring for, hearing about, or witnessing intense suffering of others. ​

• Prevention

  • Routine self-care​

  • Debriefing after difficult events​

  • Reflective supervision ​

ABCs of Self Care

• Awareness

  • Signs of stress, when to recharge, and how our reactions to stress impact our relationships​

• Balance

  • Your internal needs – including self worth, significance, security, success, health​

  • Personal, work, and social relationships and pressures​

• Connection

  • “Tuning in”: Self, others, and the world​

Responding to Crisis

• Short sentences, commands, or choices​

• Remind patient that they are safe​

• Use calm, non-judgmental tone​

• Promote grounding to orient back to reality​

Trauma in Inpatient

• Onset of disabling symptoms​

• Loss of autonomy​

• Dislocation from typical supports ​

• Separation from family​

Trauma Informed Care Principles

1. Realize = impact of trauma

2. Recognize = signs of trauma

3. Respond = with trauma informed care

4. Resist = retraumatization