Trauma-Informed Care and Practices Flashcards

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study is important to trauma-informed care because it demonstrated:

Answer: A strong link between early trauma exposure and long-term health and behavioral outcomes

The ACE study found a dose-response relationship between number of adverse experiences and increased risk for physical illness, mental health disorders, and substance use disorders.

When working with a peer who has a trauma history, an RSS should prioritize which of the following in early interactions?

Answer: Establishing safety, trust, and rapport before exploring trauma content

Building safety and trust is foundational in trauma-informed work; moving too quickly to trauma content without a solid relationship can be harmful.

What does the term 'window of tolerance' refer to in trauma-informed care?

Answer: The optimal zone of arousal in which a person can process experiences without being overwhelmed

The window of tolerance describes the zone where a person is sufficiently calm and alert to engage with difficult material without entering hyperarousal or hypoarousal.

Which of the following is a key distinction between 'trauma-informed' and 'trauma-specific' services?

Answer: Trauma-informed care integrates trauma awareness into any service; trauma-specific services are direct trauma treatments

Trauma-informed care is a universal organizational approach applied across all services, while trauma-specific interventions are targeted treatments for trauma disorders like PTSD.

An RSS is co-facilitating a group and a peer shares a graphic trauma story that appears to disturb other members. The most trauma-informed response is to:

Answer: Gently acknowledge the peer's experience and refocus the group on shared recovery themes

Validating the peer while redirecting to shared themes honors the disclosure without allowing vicarious traumatization of other group members.

Which nervous system response is most associated with trauma-related 'freeze' or dissociation in peers?

Answer: Parasympathetic shutdown (dorsal vagal)

Dorsal vagal shutdown produces immobility, numbness, and dissociation — a primitive survival response when fight or flight is not possible.

In a trauma-informed framework, offering peers choices whenever possible serves primarily to:

Answer: Restore a sense of agency and control that trauma often strips away

Trauma frequently involves loss of control; offering meaningful choices restores autonomy and directly counteracts core dynamics of traumatic experiences.