Trauma-Informed Care: Understanding and Support

This assignment delves into the concept of trauma-informed care, emphasizing the importance of recognizing past traumas and their lasting effects. It highlights the need for understanding, support, and education within communities to address the complexities of trauma. The document explores various aspects of trauma-informed care, including its application in different settings, such as mental health and child welfare services.

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TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE IN MENTAL HEALTH
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TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE IN MENTAL HEALTH
Introduction
Trauma- informed care is essential in effective mental health nursing. Trauma informed care
involves the recognizing, understanding, and reacting to trauma. The model of care emphasizes
on the emotional, physical, and psychological safety of the patients and the nurses. Further,
trauma informed care identifies the physical and emotional issues, disorders, and conditions
related to trauma. In this case, nurses who apply this model recognize the many complexities of
the effects of trauma and formulate strategies on how to handle them. Having this in mind, the
essay will discuss on how trauma informed care guides the provision of mental health nursing.
How trauma-informed care helps guide and inform the provision of mental care in
Australia at a policy level and for consumers.
Understanding Trauma
Trauma-informed care has been adopted as an approach to help guide mental health practice in
Australia both at a policy and consumer level. First, this approach provides an understanding of
trauma to mental care providers and this is important in promoting mental recovery. International
evidence has revealed that a trauma-informed care approach provides awareness to mental health
about the complexity of childhood, adolescent and adult trauma (Muskett 2014). A wealth of
research findings shows that the implications of complex trauma are not only embedded at
infancy but throughout an entire life cycle. Trauma-informed care recognizes that trauma is a
result of several vulnerabilities and it affects multiple aspects of a victim’s life over a lifespan
(Classenand Clark 2017).A mental health care facility with a trauma-informed care system is
competent enough to recognize and attend to consumers who are traumatically affected by any

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overwhelming experiences. With trauma-informed care, longstanding trauma can be treated and
its adverse effects intercepted. This system helps to coordinate and integrate recovery-oriented
services with other elements of mental-health care when delivering to trauma survivors. A better
understanding of trauma dynamics that are prevalent in consumers helps the providers of mental
health care to design systems that accommodate the vulnerabilities of trauma survivors
(Huckashorn and Lebel 2013).
Reducing re-traumatization
Additionally, trauma-informed care strives to do no harm by avoiding re-victimizing or re-
traumatizing consumers in mental-health. Instead, survivors are taken as unique people who have
undergone very difficult situations and managed them to their level best. Trauma-informed care
acknowledges that receiving mental health care can be traumatic to consumers. Undergoing
involuntary hospital admissions, being scheduled, coercion, force, restraint practices and
seclusion, mistreatment by staff can all constitute primary trauma while receiving or accessing
mental health services (Isobel and Edwards 2017). Integrating a trauma-informed care approach
to mental health services helps in reducing such cases of re-traumatization and re-victimization
of consumers. It fosters power sharing and collaboration between the staff and consumers and
this gives trauma survivors some sense of control (Wilson, Hutchinson and Hurley 2017). This
approach helps to ensure that mental health services are not only designed to eradicate symptoms
of emotional, sexual or physical abuse, but encourages staff to be sensitive and do no further
harm to consumers. It is a model characterized by safety and it emphasizes on skill acquisition
and strength-building rather than the exclusive management of symptoms (LeBel and Kelly
2014).

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Increased positive outcomes
Further, the integration of trauma-informed programs and mental health leads to achievement of
better outcomes. Various studies and pilot programs have established the fact that the use of a
trauma-informed model helps in reducing psychiatric symptoms (Watson, Thorburn, Everett and
Fisher 2014). They have shown major improvement in consumers’ daily functioning, reduction
of trauma and mental health symptoms and decrease in hospitalization as well as crisis
intervention. Besides these positive patient outcomes, a trauma-informed care approach might
have desirable effects on household stability and a decline in the use of crisis-based services
(Kelly, Boyd, Valente and Czekanski 2014). Research has also found that consumers tend to be
more satisfied when mental health organizations are trauma-informed. Additionally, providers
realize desirable outcomes in their facilities since trauma-informed care is cost-effective as it
costs less than standard services. They also report greater successful collaboration among
stakeholders and greater self-efficacy among consumers. Moreover, supervisors utilizing this
approach report that there is improved staff morale coupled with more effective services as well
as fewer negative events (Donisch, Bray and Gewirtz 2016).
How will this approach influence your mental health nursing practice?
This trauma-informed care approach will guide me during my mental health nursing practice.
The approach gives me an understanding that traumatic events such as domestic violence, elderly
abuse, sexual abuse and combat trauma can have long-term adverse effects on the emotional,
physical and emotional well-being of a person. With this, I will be in a better position to support
consumers with mental health issues as I uphold the principles of trauma-informed care. For
instance, I will ensure that my patients and their family members feel physically and

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psychologically safe by fostering patient-centered communication. I will refrain from restraint
practices, seclusion, coercion or using force on my patients. Instead, I will cultivate
trustworthiness and transparency by respecting my patient’s autonomy and refraining from
unnecessary restraining practices, coercion or seclusion. Also, I will uphold collaboration and
mutuality by emphasizing that all staff members as well as patients are all equal and none is
superior to the other.
Additionally, I will empower my consumers by identifying their individual strengths and using
them as a foundation for promoting mental recovery and healing instead of purely focusing on
treating their symptoms. I will provide my consumers with choices and opportunities to share in
decision-making platforms in order to cultivate a sense of control in them. Besides this, I will
engage my consumers in a collaborative and non-judgmental fashion when discussing their
health and behavioral changes. I will encourage peer support by identifying people with similar
trauma experiences to build trust, create safety, enhance collaboration and promote recovery.
Lastly, I will recognize diversity in gender, cultural and historical issues and eliminate biasness
and stereotyping.
Examples of how this approach is used or could be used
Ralph’s Case
There are various ways that the trauma-informed care approach could be used. In a certain case
scenario, Ralph is an unemployed and homeless individual with a persistent mental problem and
co-existing conditions. He has been admitted thrice and placed in a Community Treatment
Order. His treatment plan entails monthly injections and frequent check-ups at a clozapine clinic
that monitors the medication’s side effects. Furthermore, he is required to attend weekly

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meetings with his case manager and undergo monthly checks with his psychiatrist. He was
checked into crisis accommodation but left a day later. Since then, he has not attended any of his
appointments and has lost engagement with his services. Most of the times, Ralph is usually
found at soup kitchen, seated at a corner (Bowie 2013).
Using a trauma-informed care approach to assist Ralph, one should identify any past or present
traumas that he could have possibly encountered. This could point towards instability, poverty,
hunger, physical illness, abuse while on the streets, intrusive control in involuntary environments
or in his community or trauma in admissions in mental health facilities. If the mental health
facility uses a trauma-informed response, it could begin by working with his strengths by
identifying how he survived on the streets. It is important to also identify what has happened to
him and what he might be needing. If the medical model being used is not working, identify
alternatives that are not coercive in engaging Ralph. Also, check the support that matches well
with his needs and goals. Further, it is important to identify his social connections and refrain
from making assumptions or trivializing places that he feels safe to be (Bowie 2013).
This trauma-informed approach is likely to have different effects on Ralph’s outcome. First, is
safety because he would feel safe in a stable and safe environment? Second, his physical and
mental needs will be met by a regime that he agrees with and one that he can manage. Lastly, he
will be in a better position to lead a life he desires (Bowie 2013).
Aboriginal people case
Another example where this approach can be used is when dealing with Aboriginal people who
are twice as likely as non-Aboriginal Australians to report high levels of psychological stress
(Machtinger, Cuca, Khanna, Rose and Kimberg 2015). To begin with, reflect on the potential

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effects that family, community and country disconnection could have had on their emotional and
social wellbeing. Afterwards, assess how their strong kinship systems and connection to culture
can be a protective factor when faced with distress. It is also important to recognize and
acknowledge the resilience found among Aboriginal people and the power of their culture when
faced by difficulties (Bateman, Henderson and Kezelman 2013).
Summary and Conclusion
Becoming trauma – informed implies that one is able to recognize that other people have
different traumas in the cause of their lives. Traumatized people need understanding and support
from the people around them. Most times, survivors of trauma can be re- traumatized, therefore,
adequate education and information needs to be passed to communities on the impact of traumas
and how to avoid it. Thus, understanding the effect of trauma is imperative in becoming
supportive to the community.

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Reference List
Bateman, J., Henderson, C. and Kezelman, C., 2013. Trauma-informed care and practice:
towards a cultural shift in policy reform across mental health and human services in Australia, a
national strategic direction. Position paper, Mental Health Coordinating Council.
Bowie, V., 2013. Trauma-informed care. Youth Studies Australia [online] 32(4), p.81.
Classen, C. C., and Clark, C.S., 2017. Trauma-informed care.
Donisch, K., Bray, C. and Gewirtz, A., 2016. Child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and
education providers’ conceptualizations of trauma-informed practice. Child maltreatment, 21(2),
pp.125-134.
Huckashorn, K. E. V. I. N., and Lebel, J. L. 2013. Trauma-informed care. Modern community
mental health work: An interdisciplinary approach, pp. 62-83.
Isobel, S. and Edwards, C., 2017. Using trauma-informed care as a nursing model care in an
acute inpatient mental health unit: A practice development process. International journal of
mental health nursing, 26(1), pp.88-94.
Kelly, U., Boyd, M.A., Valente, S. M. and Czekanski, E., 2014. Trauma-informed care: Keeping
mental health settings safe for veterans. Issues in mental health nursing, 35(6), pp.413-419.
LeBel, J. and Kelly, N., 2014. Trauma-informed care. Residential interventions for children,
adolescents, and families. A best practice guide, pp. 78-95.
Machtinger, E. L., Cuca, Y.P., Khanna, N., Rose, C.D. and Kimberg, L.S., 2015. From treatment
to healing: the promise of trauma-informed primary care. Women’s Health Issues, 25(3), pp.193-
197.

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Muskett, C. 2014. Trauma-informed care in inpatient mental health settings: A review of the
literature. International journal of mental health nursing, 23(1), pp. 51-59.
Watson, S., Thorburn, K., Everett, M. and Fisher, K. R., 2014. Care without coercion-mental
health rights, personal recovery and trauma-informed care. Australian Journal of Social Issues,
49(4), pp.529-549.
Wilson, A., Hutchinson, M. and Hurley, J., 2017. Literature review of trauma-informed care:
Implications for mental health nurses working in acute inpatient settings in Australia.
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing.