What is Trauma-Informed Care?

If you’re new to the mental health and support world, you might not have heard the term “trauma-informed".” If you aren’t new, you’ve probably heard it thrown around like a buzz word. But what is it and why has it gotten so popular?

Trauma-informed care is a practice that recognizes how pervasive trauma is in our modern world. While trauma related practices once focused on what some call “Big T” trauma, things like physical or sexual abuse for example, more and more research is revealing how much “little t” trauma can impact our mental health outcomes.

Little t trauma can be much harder to recognize. A person who had all of their physical needs taken care of but had emotionally distant parents might have experienced little t trauma for example. Some might argue that this term is too all encompassing, but maybe that is a good thing. I don’t know that I’ve talked to anyone who hasn’t had something that they consider traumatic happen in their life. And trauma-informed care, like what is implemented in our peer support programs, understands that.

The benefits of seeing a doctor, therapist, or peer support specialist that is trauma informed is that they will help empower you to understand these concepts, which can be the first step towards addressing the trauma and living a happier and healthier life.

And if you are curious about why we are so big on trauma-informed care here at The LegalMind Society, it is because we not only practice it, but we also have often benefited from it ourselves. If you have questions, or want to reach out and experience trauma-informed peer support for yourself, know that we are here for you.