Trauma is pervasive and affects everyone, whether or not one has directly experienced trauma. Without effective education and intervention, trauma will transfer, perpetuate and worsen. It is a local community and world health concern.
Understanding the impact of trauma in a person’s life is so important that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have focused efforts and research toward better understanding of this issue.
With this understanding, RHA Health Services has focused on becoming a Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) organization.
RHA’s Trauma-Informed Care Journey
Since 2018, over 100 RHA leaders have participated in our Trauma-Informed Care training, focusing on trauma and attachment, vicarious trauma, trauma-informed care (TIC), and TIC for Administrators. RHA is leaning on community partners as well, including utilizing a trauma-informed psychoeducational curriculum in use by Buncombe County in North Carolina.
RHA has Trauma-Informed Care Champions at all of our behavioral health locations that promote a trauma-informed culture and has a standing committee that includes representatives from throughout the organization that meets multiple times per year.
What is Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)?
• Understands the role that violence and trauma play in the lives of people seeking mental health and addiction services.
• Recognizes that trauma results in multiple vulnerabilities.
• Providers have a duty to possess a basic understanding of trauma and trauma dynamics.
• Become trauma aware and knowledgeable about the impact and consequences of traumatic experiences for individuals, families, and communities.
• TIC is the framework that guides treatment and intervention.
• Pays attention to the “Here and Now” needs of the person in front of you.
The 3 R’s of Awareness for TIC:
• Realizing the prevalence of trauma.
• Recognizing how trauma affects all individuals involved with the program, organization, or system, including its own workforce.
• Responding by putting this knowledge into practice.