Trauma Informed Care Practice

Running head: TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PRACTICE
TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PRACTICE
Name of the Student:
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1TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PRACTICE
Introduction
For the purpose of exploration of the comprehensive nature of mental health issues and
their management, case scenario of Lisa has been chosen. Mental health resources must
consider the implementation of a variety of external factors such as family, experiences and
medication history for the purpose understanding a client’s mental health needs (Liddle et al.,
2018). The following essay highlights issues underling Lisa’s condition, followed by
incorporation of appropriate TICP principles for management.
Identification of Issues
Lack of Family Support: It can be observed that Lisa’s parents were not supporting of
her moving in their home with her boyfriend which is why she had to live separately. The
presence of family support is essential for drug addiction recovery due to the availability of
emotional and motivational factors form the same resulting in a patient feeling empowered to
adhere to treatment (Wang et al., 2016). A lack of adequate support results in feelings of anxiety,
helplessness and insecurity which compels people, like Lisa, to revert to drugs to cope with the
same. Also, family remains one of the key modes of evaluating and monitoring a patient’s
adherence to treatment (Gilhooly et al., 2018). Taking insights from the same, it must be noted
that Lisa’s mother contributed extensively in remembering to provide timely medications to her
– hence, her absence is a key reason underlying Lisa’s missed medications and her substance
abuse.
Untimely Medication Consumption: For achieving adequate recovery and positive
health outcomes from substance abuse, the timely adherence to treatment is of utmost

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importance. A lack of consuming medications on time or frequent missing of medications results
in emergence of withdrawal symptoms and relapse to previous drug use (Cassidy et al., 2015). It
can observed in the video that Lisa was frequently forgetting to take her prescribed medications
resulting in the worsening of her condition.
Withdrawal and Relapse associated with Cannabis use: Individuals with prolonged
history of drug use like cannabis are susceptible to withdrawal symptoms like restlessness,
nervousness, irritability and feelings of discomfort which compels them to relapse or engage in
an additional drug. Lisa is observed to extensively display such withdrawal symptoms which
may have hence contributed to her relapse and use of the drug ‘speed’ (Gates, Albertella &
Copeland, 2016).
Issues and TICP
Lack of Support: As discussed previously, one of the key issues which have resulted in
Lisa’s engagement with substance abuse is the lack of adequate motivational and emotional
support from her family. As per the Guiding Principles of Trauma-Informed Care (TICP)
developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the
third principle of peer support and mutual self help is hindrance in the case of Lisa (SAMHSA,
2019). It is worthwhile to remember that substance abuse and their associated psychological
disorders are not merely a result of factors intrinsic to the person’s behavior but are an
amalgamation of the lived mental health experiences and extrinsic social factors such as social
connections and surroundings (Sexton, 2017). In such situations, a lack of family support, not
only contributed to Lisa’s forgetfulness concerning her medication consumption but also
emergence of feelings of safety, comfort and security resulting in her need to revert to substance

3TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PRACTICE
abuse (Easton, Crane & Mandel, 2018). Hence, as per the third TICP principle of peer support
and mutual self help, the mental health nurse must aim to direct the deliverance of organizational
and treatment services using peer centered or family centered approaches, requiring involvement
of support from Lisa’s friends and family since these are implicated to result in Lisa feeling
empowered, gaining trust and alleviation of her paranoid symptoms and mostly importantly, safe
in the comfort of her own home and relevant social networks (Liddle et al., 2018). Further,
despite their psychological issues, establishment of a sense of understanding of the patient’s
needs, preferences and opinions in the recovery plan by the mental health nurse, is key to
recovering the essential factor of support without which treatment will be ineffective (Slesnick,
& Zhang, 2016).. Hence, as per Lisa’s case, the mental health nurse must aim to adhere to the
third TICP principle of collaboration and mutuality and plan a recovery procedure by not just
exerting her nursing autonomy but by also actively involving Lisa in the decision-making
process (SAMHSA, 2019). Such meaningful distribution of responsibilities and emergence of
therapeutic relationships and shared decision-making are essential cornerstones to initiate the
process of healing in the concerned patient (Dakof et al., 2015).
Untimely Medication Consumption: An additional issue which emerged as a key
contributor to Lisa’s usage drugs is are lack of adherence to medications. A lack of following the
prescribed dosages and timings during substance abuse results in the re-emergence of the
characteristic physiological and psychological effects associated with the drug in question. Lisa
has been found to engage extensively in the usage of drugs like speed and cannabis which results
in health symptoms like loss of memory and concentration along with emergence of feelings of
anxiety, distortions in perception and learning (Gaudiano et al., 2017). While Lisa’s sense of
cognition, understanding and perception seem intact, it can be observed that she is unable to