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Trauma- Informed Care

Training

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Objectives

Understanding Trauma
Why Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)
Describe the Impact of Trauma
Explore Benefits of TIC While Supporting People With Disabilities

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What is Trauma?

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A deeply distressing or overwhelming experience that can have a significant and lasting impact on a person’s emotional, psychological, and physical well being.

Extreme
Overwhelming
Disruptive

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Traumatic Events

Witnessing or experiencing violence
Physical or sexual abuse
Loss of a loved one
Chronic stress
Medical trauma

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SAMHSA - DEFINITION

Three Key Elements:

Individual Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as overwhelming or life-changing and that has profound effect on the individual’s psychological development, or well-being, often involving a physiological, social, and/or spiritual impact. - SAMHSA experts 2012

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3 E’s of Trauma

Experience

Threatening

Overwhelming

Terrifying

Effect

Adverse

Long-lasting

Delayed

Event

Single

Repeated

Sustained

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Indirect (Secondary or Vicarious)

SELF-CARE

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Impact of Trauma

AFFECTS EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY

Mental Health
Physical Health
Relationships
Overall Well-Being

CAN CAUSE

PTSD
Anxiety
Substance Abuse
Physical Health Problems

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How Trauma Affects The Brain

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withdrawal, aggression, self-injury, heightened startle response, sleep disturbances

Triggers & Trauma Responses

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Triggers: anything that might cause a person to recall a traumatic experience they've had.

For example: graphic images of violence, songs, odors, or even colors

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littlerocktrauma.co.uk.

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tlcpartners.co.uk.

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Why Trauma- Informed Care

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Trauma Informed Care

A person centered approach that recognizes and responds to the signs, symptoms, and risks of trauma to better support the health needs of patients/clients who have experience Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) and toxic stress.

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Core TIC Principles

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Trauma Informed Care

Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is particularly crucial when supporting individuals with disabilities

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Individuals with disabilities are four times more likely to be victims of crimes as non-disabled (Sobsey, 1996);
Prevalence of sexual abuse for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is 16.6 percent compared to 8 percent for general population;
The risk of abuse increases 78 percent due to exposure to the disability service system (Sobsey & Doe, 1991).

Trauma-and-developmental-Disabilities

PDF (dam.assets.ohio.gov)

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Abuse & Neglect

Medical Trauma

Systemic Trauma & Ableism

Bullying, Harrassment, & Violence

Higher Rates of Trauma Exposure

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Difficulty articulating their traumatic experiences verbally

Trauma responses mistakenly attributed solely to the person's disability

Communication Barriers & Misattribution

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Overlapping Symptoms

Symptoms of trauma

(e.g., hypervigilance, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, dissociation, sensory sensitivities) can sometimes overlap with characteristics associated with certain disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, anxiety disorders).

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A situation, attitude, interaction, or environment that replicates the events or dynamics of the original trauma and triggers the overwhelming feelings and reactions associated with them

Potential for Re-traumatization in Support Settings

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Applying a TIC lens when supporting individuals with disabilities means:

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Recognizing their increased vulnerability to trauma
Understanding how trauma might manifest differently or be masked

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Effectively working to avoid re-traumatization within the support relationship and environment

being transparent, establishing routines, identifying potential triggers,

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It shifts the focus from managing "problem behaviors" (which might be trauma responses) to understanding and supporting the whole person and their experiences.

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