Trauma-Informed Care Flashcards

Vicarious trauma is distinguished from secondary traumatic stress in that it primarily refers to:

Answer: Cumulative transformation of the counselor's core worldview and beliefs over time

Vicarious trauma (McCann & Pearlman) describes the gradual, cumulative transformation of a helper's fundamental schemas, beliefs about safety, and worldview through sustained empathic engagement with traumatized clients.

According to SAMHSA's conceptual framework, the 'Three E's' of trauma are:

Answer: Event(s), Experience of the event(s), and Effects on functioning

SAMHSA defines trauma through three components: the traumatic Event(s), the individual's subjective Experience of those events, and the lasting Effects on functioning, behavior, and mental health.

Post-traumatic growth (PTG), as described by Tedeschi and Calhoun, is best defined as:

Answer: Positive psychological transformation emerging from the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances

Post-traumatic growth describes meaningful positive changes in self-perception, interpersonal relationships, appreciation of life, and sense of meaning that can emerge through grappling with the aftermath of trauma.

When a client exhibits hyperarousal during a counseling session, the trauma-informed response is to first:

Answer: Use grounding techniques to help the client return to the window of tolerance

Grounding techniques (sensory awareness, paced breathing, orienting exercises) help regulate hyperarousal and restore the client to the window of tolerance where therapeutic engagement can safely continue.

The original Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire assesses all of the following categories EXCEPT:

Answer: Peer bullying and school-based victimization

The original 10-item ACE questionnaire covers three categories of childhood abuse, two of neglect, and five household dysfunction domains — peer bullying was not included in the original instrument.

In trauma-informed group therapy for substance use disorders, when a group member begins providing graphic details of traumatic events, the most appropriate counselor response is to:

Answer: Gently redirect to coping skills focus to prevent traumatic contagion among members

Redirecting graphic trauma disclosure in group settings prevents traumatic contagion and maintains group safety, consistent with trauma-informed group models like Seeking Safety that focus on present coping over trauma narration.

A trauma trigger is best defined as:

Answer: A stimulus that evokes a trauma response through associative connection to past traumatic events

A trigger is any internal or external cue (sensory, emotional, cognitive, or situational) that the nervous system associates with past trauma, activating a survival response even in the absence of actual threat.