Trauma affects nearly every person at different levels and is a central focus of many social services. Trauma can impact various human services cases, including substance use, employment, and child welfare. Additionally, we are still learning more about trauma's symptoms, origins, and best practices. The Role of Trauma-Informed Care Trauma-informed care practices help social workers approach clients in a sensitive, mental health-focused manner. Even without a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, trauma-informed responses ask social workers to assume clients have experienced trauma. In doing so, they can more easily identify the effects of trauma and avoid triggering re-traumatization throughout their care plan. Trauma-informed approaches aim to increase respect and empathy in social services. Rather than only considering current responses, social workers are now better trained to understand trauma history and how it shows today. That said, you should avoid explicit conversations about trauma with most clients unless they're in a safe environment and feel comfortable discussing it. What Is Re-Traumatization? Re-traumatization consists of an individual entering a situation or environment that reminds them of their trauma or otherwise impacts their PTSD. These instances may trigger difficult or overwhelming emotions connected to the initial traumatic event. Depending on the instance, re-traumatization can also cause intense trauma responses that are difficult to understand. For example, an individual with childhood trauma may experience re-traumatization after stepping into an old home. Alternatively, an abuse survivor may push loved ones away if a situation makes them feel unsafe. Mental health professionals take re-traumatization seriously because it poses risks to clients and those around them. Re-opening the trauma can increase its effects and longevity by turning an isolated incident into a perceived series of events. Additionally, clients' reactions may cause them to hurt themselves or others, even emotionally. As such, being aware of re-traumatization and each client's triggers is crucial to providing a practical trauma-informed care approach. The Long-Term Effects Of Trauma Trauma can take many forms throughout people's lives with different levels of prevalence. For many people, the effects of trauma may be less noticeable at times, but never go away. Long-term trauma can impact clients' behavioral and chronic physical health. Without proper recovery from trauma, these effects can lead to mental health conditions, irrational decisions, substance use, and other serious concerns. This can also impair clients' careers, relationships, reputations, and wellbeing. Left untreated, trauma such as childhood emotional abuse may be passed onto others, creating a vicious cycle. Trauma-informed care social work aims to help clients break the chains of their trauma, whether it's generational or isolated. With a personalized, empathetic care plan, clients will hopefully identify how their trauma affects them and diminish its long-term effects. The 6 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care Trauma-informed care is a multifaceted process that requires social workers to combine various practices and principles. 1. Safety Safety should be among a social worker's top concerns for any client, which may be especially challenging to prioritize in trauma-informed care. Individuals with PTSD may respond to frightening situations with irrational thoughts, words, or actions, which can endanger them or others. Even outside of physical safety, social workers should ensure their clients feel safe. Feeling endangered or unwelcome are natural adverse effects of trauma that can lead to worse conditions, such as anxiety and insomnia. Case managers should ensure clients are in a safe environment, including at home and at work, and be attentive to their comfort needs. 2. Choice Re-establishing and maintaining a sense of control is critical to helping clients overcome trauma symptoms. Though every incident is different, many traumatic experiences occur when an individual cannot escape, such as a natural disaster. These experiences can limit individuals' fight or flight responses and make them feel stressed in situations they don't have control over. This is especially true for chronic trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Social workers can help clients overcome their feelings of powerlessness by giving them control over their care plans, such as letting them choose between therapists. Furthermore, giving clients options in their trauma recovery may make them feel more engaged, leading to better retention and results. 3. Collaboration Human services organizations give social workers opportunities to share information and resources with one another. Coworkers, colleagues, and others in your network may recommend educational outlets for specific types of trauma. They can also suggest or refer you to service providers that meet your clients' needs. Organization-wide collaboration is especially critical when working with complicated trauma cases. Coworkers and others in your network may identify symptoms or solutions you hadn't considered, increasing your perspective for clients. Additionally, other social workers may step in to help with cases as needed, which can be critical for your mental health when working with trauma. 4. Peer-Support Information-sharing helps your organization improve by increasing perspectives, resources, and available data. Supporting one another is essential for social services as the industry continues to learn more about mental health and better practices. Everyone in your organization should have at least basic knowledge about trauma to aid clients and one another. In doing so, you can ensure you have an open channel of communication and support. Furthermore, leaders should highlight employees' skills, experiences, and training, as some social workers may be more qualified to handle specific trauma. 5. Trustworthiness Trustworthiness and transparency are critical to all social services, particularly for sensitive clients with a history of trauma. Your organization's trustworthiness includes its public image, cybersecurity, reliability, and more. Even missing one appointment with a client could impair their trust. A client losing faith in your services can limit their engagement in their care plan and, in doing so, impair their recovery. Additionally, clients may not feel a reliable sense of control if they can't trust your organization with their schedule or data. As such, maintaining a trustworthy brand is critical to giving clients the help they need. 6. Empowerment Every client is different. But many victims of trauma find peace after acknowledging their scars and embracing the life they've built despite them. Whatever path your client takes to get there, self-empowerment should be their end goal. For example, consider a patient with PTSD related to a physical injury. Everyday tasks they can no longer perform the same way may remind them of the incident and cause re-traumatization. However, regularly attending physical therapy may improve their dexterity and make them feel more empowered and in control. This process will help them decrease the prevalence of trauma in their life.