Trauma-Informed Care & Mental Health Fundamentals Flashcards

Which neurobiological response is most commonly activated during acute trauma, affecting the amygdala and prefrontal cortex?

Answer: Fight-flight-freeze response

Acute trauma triggers the fight-flight-freeze response, with the amygdala hijacking the prefrontal cortex and impairing rational thought.

A trauma-informed care principle of 'trustworthiness and transparency' primarily requires crisis workers to:

Answer: Make tasks and goals clear to build client trust

Trustworthiness and transparency means being clear about processes, expectations, and decisions so clients can trust the helper and the system.

When a client in crisis exhibits dissociative symptoms such as depersonalization, the crisis counselor should first:

Answer: Use grounding techniques to restore present-moment awareness

Grounding techniques (sensory anchoring, breathing) help bring a dissociating client back to present reality before deeper intervention.

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) differs from standard PTSD primarily in that it:

Answer: Involves disturbances in self-organization from prolonged repeated trauma

C-PTSD arises from repeated, prolonged trauma (e.g., domestic abuse, captivity) and includes persistent disturbances in affect regulation, self-concept, and relationships.

According to the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study, higher ACE scores are most strongly associated with:

Answer: Greater likelihood of chronic health conditions and mental illness

The ACE study demonstrated a dose-response relationship between childhood adversity and adult physical and mental health outcomes.

Which of the following best describes 'secondary traumatic stress' in crisis intervention professionals?

Answer: Trauma symptoms resulting from indirect exposure to clients' traumatic experiences

Secondary traumatic stress (vicarious trauma) occurs when helpers develop trauma-like symptoms from empathic engagement with clients' traumatic material.

In trauma-informed care, the principle of 'empowerment, voice, and choice' is best demonstrated by:

Answer: Offering the client options and honoring their decisions wherever possible

Empowerment means restoring a sense of agency to trauma survivors by providing meaningful choices and respecting their autonomy.