Trauma-informed care is the act of providing services that take into consideration the adversity that clients have faced in their lives and how that adversity impacts their psychosocial functioning.
So, what does this mean?
"Social workers should consider the damaging effects of child maltreatment and chaotic family environments and their contribution to the exacerbation of presenting problems" (Levenson, 2017). It is not uncommon that offenders have experienced abuse themselves. When people experience pain, it is very possible that they develop maladaptive coping patterns and behaviors. Individuals who act out usually do not just decide that they are going to hurt someone else; these behaviors are not random. If we can understand why they are acting out by revisiting their earlier life experiences, there is a possibility that we can prevent future maladaptive behaviors and stop the pattern of abuse.
Trauma-informed care values:
Collaboration, self-determination, respect, empathy, safety. If we can use a trauma-informed lens, then we can view maladaptive behaviors as a symptom rather than viewing the individual as the problem. Then, we can help restore and repair. We can heal broken connections and rebuild relationships. Thus, trauma-informed care is necessary for restorative practices, which paves the way for breaking the cycle. Trauma-informed care acknowledges presenting issues as maladaptive coping strategies that have developed as a result of trauma. If trauma can rewrite the core of an individual's identity, then trauma-informed care can edit those rewrites. Breaking the cycle involves helping the client construct a new perspective, one that promotes success for themselves and for the world around them. It is necessary to reteach clients how to organize feelings, cope in healthy ways, behave functionally, and develop healthy, safe, and meaningful relationships.
Additional things to consider:
The largest Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study reported that out of 17,000 adults, 64% expressed at least one type of childhood maltreatment/household dysfunction; 13% expressed four or more. The numbers are even higher among specific populations (poor, disadvantaged, criminal). Early adversity affects the bio-psycho-social well-being of individuals. ACEs can rewire the brain in ways that activate and prolong the fight-flight-freeze system which inhibits natural development, thereby destabilizing emotional regulation, social attachment, impulse control, and cognitive processing. This can lead to the potential of continuing cycles of abuse.
Source:
Levenson, J. (2017). Trauma-informed social work practice. Social Work, 62(2), 105-113. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swx001
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