Understanding Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency, and Your Health-Handout-Understanding Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency, and Your Health

Handout-Understanding Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency, and Your Health

Pdf Summary

The presentation "Understanding Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency, and Your Health" by Ashley Farrens, MSN, MBA, RN, delivered under the Trauma Center Association of America, focuses on defining trauma and its impact on individuals, particularly in healthcare settings. Trauma is described as experiencing or witnessing events that overwhelm coping abilities, causing lasting psychological and physical effects. Factors influencing trauma perception include age, development, past experiences, and situational context.<br /><br />The presentation highlights the prevalence of trauma-related conditions such as PTSD and depression following hospitalization, noting significant percentages of patients affected up to one year post-injury. It emphasizes how traumatic stress manifests through symptoms impairing present moment awareness and emotional integration. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework is introduced to illustrate trauma’s long-term health impacts, including increased risks of substance abuse, mental health issues, and chronic diseases.<br /><br />Biological responses to trauma are discussed, including brain and body responses like fight, flight, and freeze, and how trauma can cause hyperactivation of the brain's alarm systems, confusing past trauma with present threats. Medical settings can unintentionally trigger trauma responses due to invasive procedures, loss of privacy, and power dynamics.<br /><br />The core of the content advocates for trauma-informed care—a shift from a punitive to a supportive approach that asks, “What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?” This care model focuses on safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment, replacing judgment with curiosity. It promotes using trauma-sensitive language, understanding patient behaviors as survival mechanisms, and creating organizational cultures prioritizing healing.<br /><br />The presentation concludes by encouraging healthcare providers to adopt trauma-responsive strategies, maintain self-awareness, and foster resilience—the capacity to recover and grow from adversity—for both patients and staff, ultimately aiming to improve health outcomes and care quality.

Keywords

Trauma Informed Care

Resiliency

Trauma

PTSD

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Healthcare Settings

Trauma Responses

Trauma-Sensitive Language

Patient Empowerment

Mental Health