Trauma-Informed Care Principles & Practices Flashcards

A trauma-informed consultant is asked to evaluate a juvenile detention facility. Which environmental feature most directly undermines physical safety for trauma survivors?

Answer: Unpredictable staff rotations with no introduction protocol for new staff

Unpredictable changes in caregiving figures are highly dysregulating for trauma survivors and directly undermine the safety required for healing.

Polyvagal Theory, as applied to trauma-informed care, suggests that practitioners should first help a child achieve which state before engaging in trauma processing work?

Answer: Ventral vagal social engagement

Ventral vagal activation supports social connection and felt safety, which are prerequisites for meaningful trauma processing.

When a trauma-informed approach is implemented organization-wide rather than just in clinical services, this is best described as:

Answer: A trauma-informed system transformation

Trauma-informed system transformation means embedding trauma awareness into policies, procedures, and culture across the entire organization, not just treatment services.

A child repeatedly reenacts scenes of violence in play therapy. The trauma-informed therapist understands this as:

Answer: A possible attempt to gain mastery over overwhelming experiences through repetitive play

Repetitive trauma play is a recognized phenomenon in which children attempt to process, integrate, and gain mastery over traumatic material through play.

Which of the following best describes the role of 'attunement' in trauma-informed therapeutic relationships with children?

Answer: The therapist's capacity to sense and respond to the child's emotional and physiological states

Attunement involves the caregiver or therapist's sensitive responsiveness to a child's internal states, which is foundational to secure attachment and co-regulation.

A trauma-informed child welfare worker is documenting a child's behavior. Which framing is most consistent with trauma-informed language?

Answer: 'The child becomes dysregulated during transitions, possibly related to unpredictability trauma history.'

Trauma-informed documentation reframes behavior in terms of possible trauma-related origins rather than characterizing children with pathologizing or blame-oriented language.

Which of the following represents a 'strengths-based' approach within trauma-informed care?

Answer: Identifying and building upon the child's existing coping capacities and resilience factors

A strengths-based approach recognizes and amplifies existing resilience, coping skills, and positive relationships as core resources in trauma recovery.