TSS Trauma-Informed Care Principles Questions and Answers Flashcards

The foundational question of trauma-informed care that distinguishes it from traditional approaches is:

Answer: 'What happened to you?' rather than 'What is wrong with you?'

Trauma-informed care shifts focus from pathology to history, asking 'What happened to you?' to understand behavior in the context of trauma.

Which of SAMHSA's six trauma-informed care principles focuses on minimizing re-traumatization through consistent policies and practices?

Answer: Trustworthiness and transparency

Trustworthiness and transparency involves clear, consistent practices that build trust and reduce unpredictability that could re-traumatize survivors.

Re-traumatization in clinical settings most commonly occurs when:

Answer: Patients feel powerless, unheard, or subjected to forced procedures without explanation

Re-traumatization occurs when clinical interactions replicate the power imbalance and loss of control central to the original trauma.

Cultural humility in trauma-informed care requires practitioners to:

Answer: Continuously examine their own biases and defer to the client's cultural expertise about their own experience

Cultural humility is an ongoing process of self-reflection and positioning the client as the expert on their own cultural experience.

Trauma-informed care emphasizes 'universal precautions' because:

Answer: Trauma is prevalent and often undisclosed, so all patients should be treated as potentially trauma-affected

Universal precautions recognize trauma's high prevalence and the fact that many survivors never disclose, making trauma-informed practice necessary for all patients.

The principle of 'empowerment' in trauma-informed care primarily involves:

Answer: Supporting survivors in building on their own strengths and making informed choices about their care

Empowerment in trauma-informed care centers on restoring a sense of agency and building on existing survivor strengths.