Who Can Benefit from Trauma-Informed Care?
Trauma-informed care is a term that many people might not be familiar with, but which counselors around the world are learning to embrace. Trauma-informed care describes an alternative care method, whereby counselors are encouraged to consider and treat any past trauma(s) that a patient might have undergone before their current session. A patient’s journey doesn’t begin when they’re in front of a mental health practitioner. In fact, their life history and journey may have well included past trauma that has not been treated or resolved, and that might affect their chances of current successful recovery.
Who Can Benefit from Trauma-Informed Care?
Here are the important things to know about trauma-informed care, and why it can be beneficial for the treatment of mental and physical health for better futures.
What is trauma-informed care?
Trauma-informed care is a treatment method that more and more counselors are being taught about in continuing education seminars. This is because trauma-informed care aims to make a difference in how well patients are able to proceed through their sessions to more successful and better treatment.
The core concept behind trauma-informed care is that patients might have experienced past trauma which could affect future treatment. The trauma may have occurred in childhood, or due to traumatic events in adulthood. In some cases, the trauma may be due to medical events or improper treatment by a previous medical professional.
Trauma can have a negative impact on our daily lives, and it can affect a patient’s future treatment options.
How many people avoid dentists because they had a bad experience as a child?
Trauma-informed care accounts for the fact that patients might have untreated trauma right through the door. Knowing this, it’s easier to outline a future treatment plan for your patients.
How does trauma-informed care work?
The trauma-informed approach looks at previous traumatic events that might impact future treatments. Oftentimes, the only way for a medical professional to achieve this is to speak to their patient. Have an open discussion with your patient about their true concerns and build a trusting relationship.
The human connection is where trauma-informed care begins: where a patient opens up to discuss what they may be worried about, and where the best steps for this previous trauma to be treated first can be recommended.
Trauma care focuses on the patient’s earlier trauma before they walked through the door. That is considered the first step to finding a treatment plan that will help the current trauma the patient might be facing.
Trauma Can Stand in the Way
Almost everyone on the planet has been through some sort of traumatic event. However, everyone processes these traumatic events in a different way (and of course, there are varying reasons why an event may have been traumatic).
Trauma can stand in the way of our everyday lives, and trauma-informed care accepts that previous trauma might also be what’s standing in the way of treatment.
Trauma-informed care takes a look at previous trauma and doesn’t just consider the issue at hand. Once the past trauma has been accounted for and treatment has begun, a new treatment plan is easier for the medical professional to design (and easier for the patient to follow).
Does everyone follow trauma-informed care?
No, and that’s because counselors were taught how to treat trauma in different ways. On top of that, many counselors are still learning about this type of trauma care and the benefits it can have for them and their patients.
It’s not ‘wrong’ for a counselor to choose an alternative treatment method, and it’s not ‘wrong’ for a patient to ask for one. A good counselor-patient relationship is one where they meet somewhere in the middle – and where they can figure out the best way to go forward.
Building Resilience – American Psychological Association
Blue Sky Counseling – Trauma Therapy Omaha, NE
I, Carly Spring, M.S., LIMHP, LADC, CPC, offer my specialized expertise to assist in the healing process to anyone who may be experiencing and suffering from a vast spectrum of mental health issues. Such mental health issues include behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, trauma, addiction issues, and life transitions. I believe strongly in applying a holistic perspective addressing your whole person not just the bits and pieces of you. Contact us with any questions or to talk with a mental health counselor in Omaha today.
