What is “trauma-informed care?” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), HHS, the Administration for Children and Families, and the Administration for Community Living, have put together a guide to explain what it is and why understanding and addressing trauma is important for human services programs. The guide is based on SAMHSA’s definition of a trauma-informed program, organization, or system: Realizing the widespread impact of trauma; recognizing signs and symptoms; responding by fulling integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and seeking to “actively resist re-traumatization.”
The Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services is a web-linked compilation of resources from a range of HHS agencies, federal partners and respected nongovernmental sources. The site will contain information and resources for leaders at the state, tribal, territorial, and local levels on recent advances in understanding of trauma, toxic stress, and resiliency. The topics include PTSD, how exposure to trauma affects brain development, and how adverse childhood experiences differ from trauma experienced at other times in life.
“We hope it will be both immediately helpful,” the authors say, “and a ‘living’ document to be updated over time as our knowledge and experience grow.”