CRM Trauma-Informed Care 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the six key principles of trauma-informed care as defined by SAMHSA?
- Safety; Trustworthiness and Transparency; Peer Support; Collaboration and Mutuality; Empowerment, Voice and Choice; Cultural, Historical and Gender Issues (Correct answer)
- Safety; Accountability; Empathy; Communication; Boundaries; Cultural Competence
- Trust; Respect; Honesty; Empowerment; Collaboration; Harm Reduction
- Assessment; Diagnosis; Treatment; Recovery; Prevention; Aftercare
Correct answer: Safety; Trustworthiness and Transparency; Peer Support; Collaboration and Mutuality; Empowerment, Voice and Choice; Cultural, Historical and Gender Issues
SAMHSA's trauma-informed care framework is built on these six specific principles that guide how organizations and practitioners support trauma survivors.
Question 2: What is the primary goal of trauma-informed care in recovery settings?
- To diagnose and treat PTSD in all clients
- To avoid re-traumatizing individuals while promoting healing and recovery (Correct answer)
- To provide therapy focused exclusively on past trauma experiences
- To document trauma histories for insurance and legal purposes
Correct answer: To avoid re-traumatizing individuals while promoting healing and recovery
Trauma-informed care aims to prevent re-traumatization by creating safe, supportive environments that acknowledge trauma's impact and promote healing.
Question 3: Which of the following best reflects SAMHSA's definition of trauma?
- Only events that result in physical injury requiring medical attention
- Exclusively childhood abuse and neglect experiences
- An event or circumstances experienced as harmful or threatening that has lasting adverse effects on functioning and well-being (Correct answer)
- Any stressful life event that causes temporary emotional discomfort
Correct answer: An event or circumstances experienced as harmful or threatening that has lasting adverse effects on functioning and well-being
SAMHSA defines trauma broadly to include the subjective experience of harm and its lasting adverse effects, not just the event itself.
Question 4: What does the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study primarily demonstrate?
- That childhood trauma has no lasting effects on adult physical health
- A dose-response relationship between childhood adversity and negative health outcomes in adulthood (Correct answer)
- That most adults with high ACE scores do not develop substance use disorders
- The effectiveness of specific trauma-focused therapies for children
Correct answer: A dose-response relationship between childhood adversity and negative health outcomes in adulthood
The ACE study found that higher ACE scores are strongly correlated with increased risk of substance use disorders, mental illness, and chronic physical health problems.
Question 5: Which action by a recovery mentor BEST demonstrates a trauma-informed approach?
- Asking clients detailed questions about their trauma history during the first session
- Creating predictable routines and clearly explaining what will happen during each interaction (Correct answer)
- Encouraging clients to quickly move past their trauma and focus on future goals
- Immediately sharing your own trauma history to build rapport in the first meeting
Correct answer: Creating predictable routines and clearly explaining what will happen during each interaction
Creating predictability and transparency establishes safety, which is the foundational principle of trauma-informed care.
Question 6: What is secondary traumatic stress as it relates to recovery mentors?
- When a client experiences a traumatic event for the second time during recovery
- Workplace stress caused by organizational policies and poor management
- Emotional duress that results from helping or wanting to help a traumatized person (Correct answer)
- A mild form of PTSD that only affects clinicians, not peer mentors
Correct answer: Emotional duress that results from helping or wanting to help a traumatized person
Secondary traumatic stress, also called vicarious trauma, develops through indirect exposure to trauma when working closely with trauma survivors.
Question 7: In trauma-informed care, 'empowerment' most accurately refers to:
- Giving clients complete, unsupported control over all treatment decisions
- Acknowledging survivors' strengths and building skills that help them reclaim power and voice (Correct answer)
- Empowering staff to make all decisions on behalf of clients
- Empowering organizations to enforce stricter program rules and compliance
Correct answer: Acknowledging survivors' strengths and building skills that help them reclaim power and voice
Empowerment in trauma-informed care focuses on recognizing and building survivors' existing strengths and helping them reclaim agency over their lives.
CRM Trauma-Informed Care 1
What are the six key principles of trauma-informed care as defined by SAMHSA?