Do You Offer Trauma-Informed Care?

What is trauma-informed care? 

"We found that the big issues that kept coming up – addictions, FASD, domestic violence and residential schools – were all related to trauma."

Coalescing on Women and Substance Use gives this background, as well as info sheets, and a toolkit on Canadian trauma-informed practices.

What are trauma-specific interventions?

In the US, there is a National Center for Trauma-Informed Care with useful resources, including this summary of interventions.

"Trauma-specific interventions are designed specifically to address the consequences of trauma in the individual and to facilitate healing. Treatment programs generally recognize the following:

• The survivor's need to be respected, informed, connected, and hopeful regarding their own recovery
• The interrelation between trauma and symptoms of trauma (e.g., substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety)
• The need to work in a collaborative way with survivors, family and friends of the survivor, and other human services agencies in a manner that will empower survivors and consumers"

The US VAWnet.org has an extensive resource on Trauma-Informed Domestic Violence Services.

Is Your Organization Trauma-Informed?

The Manitoba Trauma Information & Education Centre has on Organizational Self-Assessment as well as other resources. 

What's a good book to get started with?

Borrow Becoming Trauma Informed for a good overview of the topic. 

If you work with children, consider Trauma-Informed Practices with Children and Adolescents. (The publisher provides chapter 1 online).

Borrow these and other books, listed below, on the topic of trauma. 

10 New Books on Trauma to Borrow from the BCSTH Library

1. Life story therapy with traumatized children : a model for practice, 2012.
2. Overcoming trauma and PTSD : a workbook integrating skills from ACT, DBT, and CBT, 2012.
3. The PTSD workbook for teens : simple, effective skills for healing trauma, 2012.
4. Understanding adult survivors of domestic violence in childhood : still forgotten, still hurting, 2012.
5. Why are you so scared? : a child's book about parents with PTSD , 2012.
6. Dissociation in traumatized children and adolescents : theory and clinical interventions, 2011.
7. The trauma recovery group : a guide for practitioners , 2011.
8. The mindful therapist : a clinician's guide to mindsight and neural integration, 2010.
9. Trauma and the avoidant client : attachment-based strategies for healing, 2010.
10. Trauma and physical health : understanding the effects of extreme stress and of psychological harm, 2009.

Please visit the BCSTH Library to learn more about resources and information services developed especially for members of the BC Society of Transition Houses, and contact us for more information.

Deb & Tina, Co-Librarians

library@bcsth.ca

www.bcsth.ca
BC Society of Transition Houses

Vancouver, British Columbia