Ever noticed how some clients just don’t seem to respond to help, no matter what you try? Or how the same approach works wonders for one person but completely backfires with another?
Wanting to help isn’t always enough when it comes to mental health. Good intentions can fall short if we don’t truly grasp how trauma reshapes someone’s life, thoughts, emotions, and sense of self. Without that understanding, our efforts – however well-intentioned – may feel intrusive or even harmful.
That’s exactly where trauma-informed care comes in. It’s not just a trend, it’s a necessary evolution in how we care for people who carry the weight of painful pasts. It represents a profound shift in how we approach service delivery across numerous sectors. Whether you’re a doctor, school counsellor, correctional officer, social worker or a Master in Child and Adolescent Mental Health graduate, trauma-informed care is fast becoming a game changer across various institutions.
What Do We Mean By Trauma?
Psychological trauma results from experiencing or witnessing events that are physically or emotionally harmful and that have lasting adverse effects on functioning and well-being. These experiences can include abuse, neglect, family violence, natural disasters, accidents or sudden loss.
In Australia, for example, the statistics are sobering. Research indicates that approximately 75% of Australians will experience at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetime, while 12 in every 100 Australians experience symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their lives.
Worldwide, the picture isn’t much different. A large-scale study covering 24 countries and nearly 70,000 people found that about 70% had been exposed to at least one traumatic event. Naturally, not everyone develops lasting trauma, but when the experience remains unresolved, the risk of developing other mental health issues, such as depression or addiction, increases dramatically.
Think about that for a second. If you work with people in any capacity, chances are most of them have experienced trauma – whether they’ve told you about it or not.
What Is Trauma-Informed Care?
It’s not some fancy new therapy technique. It’s a lens we put on when working with people. At its heart, it’s about recognising that trauma is common and making sure our services help people heal rather than accidentally making things worse.
The Mental Health Coordinating Council of Australia defines Trauma-Informed Care and Practice (TICP) as “a strengths-based framework that is responsive to the impact of trauma, emphasising physical, psychological and emotional safety for both service providers and survivors.”
That’s why trauma-informed care advocates for a more sensitive, safe, and effective way of supporting people with painful pasts. At its heart, this approach stresses how crucial it is to recognize the impact of trauma on a person’s behavior and emotional world. It’s about meeting people where they are, understanding their unique context, and shaping care around what they truly need, not just what we think they should need.
The Six Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
To truly embrace trauma-informed practice, organisations and individuals need to incorporate six fundamental principles:
1. Safety
This is non-negotiable. People need to feel safe – both physically and emotionally – before anything else can happen.Think about your workspace. Is it private enough? Are your processes predictable? Do people know what’s going to happen next? Have you considered how your workplace environment might trigger feelings of unsafety for trauma survivors?
I once worked with a counsellor who always started by asking clients where they’d like to sit and if the lighting was comfortable. Small stuff, but it made a huge difference. In mental health settings, this could mean discussing triggers in advance and developing safety plans.
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency
Trust is fragile, especially for people who’ve been let down before. Be honest about what you can and can’t do. If you’re running late, acknowledge it. If you don’t know something, say so.
For example, explaining the purpose of assessments, being honest about timeframes and following through on commitments. This principle acknowledges that many trauma survivors have experienced betrayal and helps rebuild their capacity to trust.
3. Peer Support
There’s something powerful about connecting with someone who’s walked in your shoes. Peer workers – people with lived experience of trauma and recovery – can offer something professionals sometimes can’t: genuine understanding and proof that things can get better.
Bringing in voices of lived experience doesn’t just humanize the therapeutic space, it helps dissolve the silence and shame that so often surround trauma. The message is powerful: “You’re not alone, this isn’t all of you, and you can move through it.” Just by being there, peer supporters offer hope, emotional resonance, and a kind of authenticity that professionals alone can’t always provide.
This kind of support acts as a bridge (not a substitute) for formal care. It connects the structured world of therapy or healthcare with the real-life struggles and strengths of survivors, making the entire system feel more welcoming, grounded, and human.
4. Collaboration and Mutuality
Trauma often involves having control taken away. So, trauma-informed care is about sharing power and making decisions together. Helping isn’t something we do tosomeone, it’s something we build with them.
Ask questions like, “What’s worked for you before?” or “How would you feel about trying this?” Therapists and support workers often fall into the trap of believing they know what’s best.
And actually listen to the answers. It’s amazing how rarely people get asked these simple questions. This principle recognizes that everyone holds valuable knowledge about them and has innate capacities for healing. That’s why the professional relationship should be collaborative, not hierarchical.
5. Empowerment, Voice and Choice
Building on the previous principle, this one is about giving people back something trauma tends to steal: a sense of choice and control. Empowering someone isn’t about handing them the weight of the world, it’s about creating real options, honoring their voice, and helping them feel in charge of their path forward.
That might mean offering a few appointment times instead of just one, taking time to explain the reasoning behind a suggestion, or simply asking, “Where would you like to start?” What matters most is that the person feels part of the process—not swept up in a system, but gently guided with respect and care.
6. Cultural, Historical and Gender Considerations
Trauma-informed care isn’t just about understanding the person, it’s about understanding the world that shaped them. Trauma doesn’t affect all people or communities in the same way.In Australia, for example, it’s about acknowledging the ongoing effects of colonization on Indigenous communities, while in the U.S., it involves recognising the historical and ongoing impacts of structural racism, slavery, and segregation, all of which continue to influence the mental and physical well-being of marginalized groups.
This principle also underscores the importance of recognizing how things like gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, class, and ethnicity play a role in both experiencing trauma and recovering from it. True trauma-informed care isn’t neutral; it actively works to understand these differences and respond in a way that is responsive and respectful to each person’s unique context.
What Does Trauma-Informed Care Look Like in Real Life?
Moving from theory to practice requires thoughtful implementation across all levels of an organisation. Here’s how different sectors in Australia are putting trauma-informed principles into action:
Healthcare Settings
In hospitals and medical practices, trauma-informed care might involve:
- Explaining procedures before performing them
- Offering choices about who is present during examinations
- Creating calm waiting areas with minimal sensory stimulation
- Training all staff, including receptionists and cleaners, in basic trauma awareness
Queensland Health has pioneered trauma-informed emergency departments, resulting in reduced restraint use and improved patient satisfaction.
Educational Environments
Schools implementing trauma-informed approaches focus on:
- Creating predictable routines and transitions
- Teaching emotional regulation skills to all students
- Using restorative rather than punitive discipline practices
- Supporting staff wellbeing to prevent vicarious trauma
Several Victorian schools have reported significant reductions in behavioural incidents and improvements in academic outcomes after implementing trauma-informed frameworks.
Child Protection and Family Services
In these settings, trauma-informed practice includes:
- Involving families in case planning
- Recognising parents’ own trauma histories
- Providing stability through consistent caseworkers
- Using strength-based language in reports and conversations
Justice and Correctional Settings
Trauma-informed approaches in these environments involve:
- Minimising the use of restraints and isolation
- Training staff to recognise trauma responses versus deliberate misbehaviour
- Providing trauma-specific treatment programs
- Creating opportunities for choice within security constraints
At its heart, trauma-informed care is about one simple idea: People do what they need to do to survive. Those “difficult behaviors” we see? They helped someone get through something tough once.
This approach works for everyone who walks through your door. You don’t need their life story to offer basic respect, clear choices and a safe place to be.
Start small. Maybe it’s just asking “What would make you feel comfortable here?” or explaining what’s going to happen next. These little things matter more than you might think.
So, what steps will you take to make your practice more trauma-informed today?
References:
Nikopaschos, F. et. Al. (2023) Trauma-Informed Care on mental health wards: the impact of Power Threat Meaning Framework Team Formulation and Psychological Stabilisation on self-harm and restrictive interventions. Front. Psychol; 14: 10.3389.
Lewis, S. J. et. Al. (2019) The epidemiology of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in a representative cohort of young people in England and Wales. Lancet Psychiatry; 6(3):247-256.
Benjet, C. et. Al. (2016) The epidemiology of traumatic event exposure worldwide: results from the World Mental Health Survey Consortium. Psychol Med;46(2):327-343.
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