The Basics of Trauma-Informed Care Explained

When someone comes to you with a complaint, you’re standing at a critical crossroads. The way you respond in those first moments can either help heal or cause additional harm. I’ve overseen the representation of clients in thousands of cases, and I’ve learned that the institutional response often causes more damage than the initial incident.

That’s why understanding trauma-informed response isn’t just about being compassionate—it’s about protecting your organization while doing right by the people who come to you for help.

What Trauma-Informed Response Really Means

A trauma-informed response recognizes how trauma affects memory and behavior. It begins with the assumption that the person who has come to you with a report has been traumatized. This assumption might fly in the face of what you have been taught.

Providing a trauma-informed response does not mean the investigation is over or the findings determined before you’ve begun. It means you start with understanding that something has happened to traumatize the person who has come to you with a report. What that something is, how it happened, why it happened, who was involved, what kind of injury was sustained, if any, and whether it was coercive, forced, or with some form of consent given, are all matters for the investigation.

By starting with the assumption that the person was traumatized, you open the door for disclosure.

Why This Matters for Your Organization

Trauma-informed care emerged from the healthcare and social services professions, where professionals found themselves on the frontlines of treating rape victims. As I’ll show, if the process escalates their trauma, you might face higher damages. It may not be in your job description to help the parties to heal, but you are a pivotal figure in the trajectory of how the situation unfolds throughout your institutional processes.

 

 

Trauma can change the way people process information and how they communicate. It can shut down or amplify emotional reactions, which in turn may alter how you perceive their credibility. This doesn’t mean you have to pamper everyone who makes a complaint, believe everything happened just the way they said it did, or take the side of anyone who says they’ve suffered an injustice. It means beginning with an understanding of how trauma impacts people.

The Five Principles of Trauma-Informed Response

Your job is not to provide care, but the same principles that guide caretakers can help you to provide an effective response during the initial report. Responding in line with the principles of trauma-informed care, you will likely defuse many potential points of conflict and make the process easier for everyone involved.

 

 

These principles are:

• Bear witness to their experience of trauma. Begin by assuming they’ve been traumatized. Serve as a witness as they relate their experience.
• Help them feel safe. Provide them a safe space to talk, both physically and psychologically. This is no time for an interrogation or cross-examination. You will have plenty of time to ask probing questions, but with the initial report you want them to feel safe and believed. Listen without showing judgment. Help them relax and tell you what they want you to know.
• Include them in the process. In many cases you can avoid nasty lawsuits just by openly communicating, asking the claimant what they want and need, and helping them feel they are engaged in the process rather than an annoyance or a problem.
• Trust in their strength and resilience. When someone has been injured or suffered a grievous loss they will not usually appear strong and resilient. If the ensuing process is fair, safe, and engages the one(s) making the report, they will grow stronger.
• Respect cultural, gender, class, and age differences. Many women preface their statements with qualifications. Understanding these communication patterns helps you gather more complete information.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

When you fail to understand how trauma sets in and plays out over time, you can trigger the person to a heightened response and miss the truth as well as the opportunity to alleviate suffering. Instead of a compassionate, humane response, a disinterested or even adversarial reaction is likely to clash with the already alarmed, traumatized state of the complainant.

This can rapidly escalate conflicts and multiply misunderstandings between the claimant and the institution all because of a failure to understand how trauma affects someone’s ability to communicate clearly.

Making Meaningful Shifts

Offering a trauma-informed response means making subtle but meaningful shifts in how a complaint is processed. These nuanced shifts can significantly change how someone feels they’ve been treated. When people feel they’ve been heard and treated fairly, they are far less likely to take further action, go public, or see an attorney. They are often satisfied just to be heard, their suffering acknowledged, the problem corrected, and to be compensated appropriately.

You understand how trauma might affect how someone is presenting the information to you, or how they are communicating or acting in general. This understanding becomes the foundation for everything that follows.

Your Role in the Healing Process

Employ a trauma-informed response from the outset. This is the key to bridging the divide between these two reporting experiences, and it is the first step to an on-target response. The nature of your initial response sets the way for how the matter is handled as it moves up the pipeline.

Especially if doubtful or aggressive, the nature of your response invariably circles back to impact the trauma response itself. In other words, you can trigger the person to a heightened response and miss the truth as well as the opportunity to alleviate suffering because you’ve failed to address what really matters in that early stage.

 

 

By understanding trauma-informed principles and implementing them from the very first contact, you create an environment where truth can emerge, healing can begin, and your organization can fulfill its responsibility to all parties involved. This isn’t just about being kind—it’s about being effective, protecting your organization, and ensuring that justice can actually be served.

FAQs

What is trauma-informed care?

Trauma-informed care is an approach to providing services that takes into account the impact of trauma on an individual’s life. It involves understanding the prevalence and impact of trauma, recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma, and responding in a way that avoids re-traumatization.

What are the key principles of trauma-informed care?

The key principles of trauma-informed care include safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment. These principles guide the way services are delivered to individuals who have experienced trauma, with a focus on creating a safe and supportive environment.

Who can benefit from trauma-informed care?

Trauma-informed care can benefit anyone who has experienced trauma, including individuals who have experienced abuse, violence, natural disasters, or other traumatic events. It is particularly important for those receiving healthcare, social services, or other forms of support.

How does trauma-informed care differ from traditional care approaches?

Trauma-informed care differs from traditional care approaches in that it emphasizes understanding the impact of trauma on an individual’s life and providing services in a way that promotes safety, trust, and empowerment. It also involves recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma and responding in a way that avoids re-traumatization.

What are some practical strategies for implementing trauma-informed care?

Practical strategies for implementing trauma-informed care include training staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, creating a safe and supportive environment, involving individuals in decision-making about their care, and providing access to trauma-specific services and supports.