Trauma-informed care is not a therapy, intervention, or specific action. It is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma and acknowledging the role that trauma has played in their lives. It is creating natural opportunities to be socially connected in a welcoming safe environment. This will allow students to build trust in themselves and those around them.
Trauma is extreme stress that overwhelms a person's ability to cope. It can be an event, a series of events, or a set of circumstances that harms a person's physical or emotional well-being.
Five Primary Principles
There are five primary principles for trauma-informed care:
- Choice
- Collaboration and Mutuality
- Empowerment
- Safety: This includes creating spaces where people feel culturally, emotionally, and physically safe, as well as an awareness of an individual's discomfort or unease.
- Transparency and Trustworthiness