Trauma Informed
Trauma has many causes — physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, exposure to substance abuse, violent acts and natural disasters among others. Symptoms of trauma include: extreme anxiety, depression, anger, post traumatic stress, dissociation and sexual concerns. These and other behaviors related to traumatic stress can manifest in school, community agencies, foster homes, homeless shelters, youth correctional facilities — anywhere and everywhere youth and families are found.
In 1998, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES; Felitti et al.) sampled 9,500 people and found a strong relationship between the breadth of exposure to abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and multiple risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults. Other research shows a relationship between parental childhood trauma and interactions with their young children.
In January 2010, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that funds Thrive recognized violent trauma as a root cause of pervasive, harmful and costly public health problems, and aimed a Top 10 strategic initiative at reducing the behavioral health impacts of violence through integrating trauma-informed services in prevention and treatment programs.
Thrive supports this initiative through trauma-informed training and technical assistance that begins with the question “What has happened to this child and family?” rather than “What is wrong…?” This approach recognizes a “problem” behavior as a way of coping with or adapting to painful current circumstances, or as a stress response related to past trauma.
Thrive trainings support stronger, healthier, more effective consumer-provider relationships. Coaches work with staff, including receptionists and administrators, as well as clinicians, other community service providers, and youth and adult consumers, on trauma-informed interactions, assessment and service delivery that is family driven, youth guided and culturally and linguistically competent.
Thrive also trains and supports tri-county area clinicians and agencies in the implementation of two trauma-specific treatment models.
