Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care
Overview
This course introduces trauma-informed care as a framework and set of practices for mental health providers who work in community mental health and outreach programs. The course begins with the neurochemical stress response system and explores how traumatic experiences are perceived by an individual and may lead to motivating (as well as debilitating) responses. Next, the course details how providers can use their knowledge of the effects of trauma to inform the ways they communicate with clients, understand client behavior, and provide support, including with evidence-based practices. Finally, the course discusses how self-care and wellbeing are vitally important for providers to consider and offers providers tools for how to apply a trauma-informed lens to themselves, not only their clients.
Note: CE Credits for this course will be available in June. If you have completed the course before then, you will be notified when you may request CE credits.
Learning objectives
- Identify the key mechanisms and systems involved in the neurochemical stress response system
- Describe at least three behaviors that people who have experienced trauma may demonstrate
- List the key principles of trauma informed care
- Compare short-term and long-term reactions to trauma clients may experience
- Describe how to utilize trauma informed communication skills and strategies with clients and teams
- Explain how a personal self-care plan can help providers assess and address impacts of and/or reactions to hearing about client trauma
