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7.1: Introduction and Learning Objectives

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    Chapter 7: Trauma-informed Care

    Caring for children and others who have experienced trauma requires different methods and ways of thinking than caring for those who have not endured trauma. This chapter identifies seven essential steps/skills needed to help these children learn and develop in an appropriate manner. This chapter also addresses caring for the caregivers… a necessary step if they are to be able to continue caring for others.

    Learning Objectives

    By the completion of this chapter, students should be able to:

    • Describe and discuss each of the 7 Essential Ingredients to Trauma Informed Care
    • Describe the need to care for caregivers, and discuss several examples of how to do so.

    Seven Essential Ingredients to Trauma Informed Care

    There are 7 Essential Ingredients to Trauma Informed Care:

    1. Prevalence
    1. Impact
    1. Perspective Shift
    1. Regulation
    1. Relationship
    1. Reason to Be
    1. Caregiver Capacity

    When we work with children (or others) who have experienced trauma in their lives, we must understand these 7 Essential Ingredients to help them. Whether our goal is to help them personally, emotionally, psychologically, educationally or in some other form, we must start from where they are; to do so, we must understand what they are going through.

    We will learn about each of these 7 Essential Ingredients in the pages that follow.

    Nurse helping a chid .png

    Image generated with Open AI and under no copyright.

    Prevalence

    Earlier in this text, information was presented about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Any reader who has not yet determined their own ACE score, is asked to please do so by taking a quick, 10-question survey found below.

    For each “yes” answer, add 1. The total number at the end is your cumulative number of ACEs.

    Before your 18th birthday:

    1. Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often… Swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? or Act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?
    1. Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often… Push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? or Ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?
    1. Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever… Touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? Or attempt or actually have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with you?
    1. Did you often or very often feel that … No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? or Your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?
    1. Did you often or very often feel that … You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? or Your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it?
    1. Were your parents ever separated or divorced?
    1. Was your mother or stepmother:
      Often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? Or sometimes, often, or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? Or ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?

    1. Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or who used street drugs?
    1. Was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?
    1. Did a household member go to prison?

    Source: NPR, ACEsTooHigh.com. This ACEs Quiz is a variation on the questions asked in the original ACEs study conducted by CDC researchers.

     

    When people are experiencing trauma, they often show outward signs:

    • Re-experiencing the trauma (nightmares, flashbacks)
    • Avoidance
    • Sleep issues
    • Concentration, focus issues
    • Dysregulation (how fast they function or don't)
    • Hyper-vigilance
    • Exaggerated startle

    When children show these symptoms, society should ask "I wonder what happened to him/her?"


    7.1: Introduction and Learning Objectives is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.