SAMHSA’s Six Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration of the USA (SAMHSA) also identifies the following six principles of a trauma-informed approach:
1. Safety
We must ask people what safety means to them. If we don’t challenge our own worldview, assumptions, and life experience regarding what safety means to us, we will not be able to ensure a sense of safety for ALL. We will simply be creating safety for people like us. We must ensure that we create safety for those who have different experiences from our own.
This means that we consider all ages, cultures, races, demographics of people served. We must also consider the safety of staff, co-workers, and stakeholders. Safety means awareness of physical, emotional, and interpersonal safety.
Dr. Sandra Bloom from The Sanctuary Model defines safety in following domains:
- Physical
- Psychological
- Social
- Moral
How do you think boundaries fit in with creating safety?
Organizations that are trauma-aware tend to offer critical incident debriefing following a traumatic incident that staff and volunteers witness. Processing the event right away is very important.
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency
In trauma-informed care, operations and decisions must be made with transparency at the forefront. The goal must be to build and maintain trust with service recipients, staff, and stakeholders. Sometimes organizations must make hard decisions, especially around funding. When we uphold trustworthiness and transparency, that means that we are open about the process of making those difficult decisions, and we invite other voices to participate. Valuing and listening to other students and committees can support the maintenance of trustworthiness. Keeping secrets and withholding information is not trauma-informed.
Trustworthiness and transparency in an organization starts with a culture of connection in relationships. Everything matters from a simple warm smile when you greet someone to approaching conflict in safe and respectful ways. Conflict is a normal part of human relationships, but how we deal with conflict can be very damaging and can cause trauma. Many people have experienced trauma in the educational and work settings because of this. Establishing strong relationships that have the resilience to move through conflict in a transformative way is essential.
Do you think consistency is important? Why or why not? Can you give an example?
3. Peer Support
Organizations that are trauma-informed prioritize practices like peer support. This principle is about integrating the culture and values of peer support into the whole organization. It’s about creating opportunities for the mutuality of peer support to integrate into many aspects of the organization, including initiatives to support admin and staff. A campus, or organization that promotes peer support focuses on mutuality and possibility. Authenticity and vulnerability are essential to this work. An organizati