The impact of traumatic experiences on both mental and physical health has led to what is known as a trauma-informed approach to care, with evidence used to develop ways to help people recover; however, there is still confusion about how to define trauma-informed practice and how health services and systems can build it into their sector.
What is trauma?
According to mental health charity Mind trauma happens when a person experiences very frightening, distressing or stressful events that are out of their control and therefore hard to cope with. This can be a sole incident or something ongoing that happens over a period of time.
The effects of trauma vary from person to person but can lead to lasting adverse effects on someone’s mental and emotional well-being and lead to them becoming less able to function.
Trauma informed practice
The understanding that exposure to trauma can have an impact on someone’s biological, neurological, social, and psychological development is the foundation of trauma informed practice in health interventions.
It means health practitioners are more aware of the negative impact of trauma, whether on an individual, a group, or a community, and how this may impact their ability to trust healthcare staff and services.
It encourages practitioners to question what it is that a patient needs rather than looking at what is wrong with them, and it provides safe and trusted services that people feel comfortable using.
Many practitioners have engaged in trauma informed practice training to help them understand how to work with people and empower them in making choices about their wellbeing. For companies and others seeking to learn more about trauma, providers such as www.tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-training-courses/trauma-informed-practice-training offer a range of courses.
Preventing re-traumatisation
Trauma informed practice aims to prevent the person re-experiencing the thoughts or feelings they experienced during a traumatic event or due to something that happened in their past. Its purpose is not to treat difficulties that are trauma-related but to remove the barriers that prevent those affected by trauma from accessing health or care services.
