Why trauma-informed care training is critical for helping professions

If you work in any helping profession, it’s likely you’ve at least heard of trauma-informed care (TIC). Perhaps you’ve sat through a few training sessions on the subject or have discussed it with a coworker. But you might not know just how important it is to include trauma-informed care training in your professional development plans.

Keep reading to learn a working definition of trauma and trauma-informed care, plus five great reasons to apply these principles in your practice.

What is trauma, exactly?

In order to understand trauma-informed care principles, we first must understand the psychosocial definition of trauma. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes individual trauma as “an event or circumstance resulting in mental, physical, emotional harm and/or life-threatening harm.”

“A traumatic event is anything that overwhelms a person’s feeling of safety,” explains Dr. Karina Bravo, assistant professor of psychology at UMass Global and licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). “Most often it is an intense fear of anguish, injury, or death for themselves or someone they love.”

Examples of common acute and chronic traumas include:

There are many misconceptions about what “counts” as trauma and how common it is. To put it simply: “Trauma is an unavoidable part of the human condition,” Dr. Bravo affirms.

She clarifies that not every traumatized person goes on to suffer long-term consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But all people will experience a stress response of some kind, and that is completely normal.

What is trauma-informed care?

One definition, according to SAMHSA, is:

Trauma-informed care realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in children, families, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively resist re-traumatization.

In Dr. Bravo’s words: “Trauma-informed care is the intentional and deliberate approach to working with people and facilitating healing.” She adds that in many individualistic cultures, like ours, there is a deeply held belief that if you’re struggling through a bad time, you’re supposed to just “get over it.” “But as a therapist, I know that we must go through things instead of over them.”

Benefits of trauma-informed care training for helping professionals

TIC training is crucial for many reasons. Above all, we know that trauma is a universal experience. Helping professionals – including social workers, behavior analysts, counselors, therapists, nurses, and teachers – often work with traumatized people who are especially vulnerable.

Without a trauma-informed approach, they may inadvertently re-traumatize their clients and ultimately do more harm than good. Here are just a few ways that trauma-informed care training leads to better outcomes for students, patients, clients, teachers, and care providers:

1. Creating a safe and supportive environment

Trauma-informed care principles dictate that practitioners prioritize confidentiality and maintain clear boundaries and expectations. These things go a long way toward making people feel comfortable, which is the first step to achieving emotional and physical regulation.

Dr. Uma Alahari, assistant professor of education at UMass Global, has worked with students of all kinds – from kindergarten to undergraduate adult learners. No matter the age, she states that “Educational settings should be safe places for students. To the best of their ability, teachers need to provide and cultivate this kind of space.”

She goes on to say that research shows children who end up doing well in spite of adversity have typically had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult. “These relationships provide personalized responsiveness, scaffolding, and protection that buffer children from developmental disruption and long-lasting consequences from unresolved trauma,” Dr. Alahari explains.

2. Increased trust

Trauma-informed care practices help build trust between individuals and providers by prioritizing client-centered care, respecting their choices, and fostering open communication.

“When clients feel understood, they are more likely to stick with therapy instead of dropping out after a few sessions,” Dr. Bravo states. “This opens the path to setting goals, addressing their unresolved trauma, and ultimately increasing their overall wellbeing and resiliency.”

3. Empowering clients

People who have experienced trauma often feel they lack control over their lives or are unable to change their circumstances. A helping professional who is competent in trauma-informed care is well equipped to empower patients by giving them control over their education, care, or treatment – and respecting their strengths and abilities. This collaborative approach can be very effective.

4. Addressing health disparities

While it’s true that trauma can happen to anyone, marginalized and historically underserviced populations tend to be more affected. Recognizing how intergenerational and systemic trauma affects communities and individuals is one way that helping professionals can tailor the care they give to meet people’s needs.

5. Preventing burnout

Anyone who works with trauma survivors is at risk of burnout due to the emotional demands of their jobs. TIC training can make it easier for those providers to manage their own emotional responses and prioritize self-care practices that support a healthy work/life balance.

Get the training you need to become a trauma-informed care provider

It’s clear that helping professionals of all kinds benefit greatly from applying trauma-informed care in their practices. No matter what your specific job title is, learning how to honor other people’s experiences and make them feel comfortable will serve you well.

UMass Global has a long-standing tradition of providing education for helping professions of all kinds. We understand the importance of trauma-informed care practices, which is why it’s baked into the curriculum and training of all of these programs. It’s our mission to make high-quality education accessible for working adult learners and prepare them to become competent, compassionate, and caring providers.

Explore our academic programs to find your ideal fit.