Trauma and the related symptoms of trauma are often found to be one of the co-occurring disorders with the highest rates of prevalence for patients receiving substance use treatment.  Trauma Informed Care recognizes that traumatic experiences can continue to overwhelm and re-victimize an individual.  Trauma informed approaches provide approaches that help restore a sense of safety, power and self-worth to a person who has suffered past traumas.

Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or circumstances that an individual experiences as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being.

Trauma informed Care promotes the use of strength-based approaches that help to minimize the risk of re-traumatizing the patient.  Trauma Informed Care interventions are designed to be sensitive to the symptoms that the trauma presents.

The foundations of Trauma Informed Care –

Create Safe Context Through:

·         Physical safety

·         Trustworthiness

·         Clear and consistent boundaries

·         Transparency

·         Choice

Restore Power Through:

·         Choice

·         Empowerment

·         Strengths Perspective

·         Skill Building

Build Self-Worth Through:

·         Relationship

·         Respect

·         Compassion

·         Acceptance and Nonjudgment

·         Mutuality

·         Collaboration

Using a strength-based approach empowers and provides hope to the patient than recovery from past traumas is possible, which can also assist in the addiction recovery process.