Trauma-Informed Care: Change the Culture to Change the Outcome

Traumatic stress from such events as child abuse, homelessness, or interpersonal violence can have life-long damaging effects on health, learning, and social-development if it goes unaddressed. Advances in awareness and knowledge of the prevalence and impact of traumatic stress have led to a call to action by federal agencies, researchers and service providers to implement “trauma-informed care” across service systems. The growing consensus is that this approach can benefit children and youth, families and individuals, and civilians and veterans.

What is trauma-informed care? How is it different from trauma-specific services? How does it change the culture of organizations and service systems? What is needed to implement it? And, most important, what is its impact?

AIR held a discussion with experts from a variety of fields to explore these questions.

Presenter

Carmela J. DeCandia
American Institutes for Research
Director, The National Center on Family Homelessness

Panelists

Larke N. Huang
Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Equity
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Cheryl Sharp
Senior Advisor for Trauma-Informed Services
National Council for Behavioral Health

Bonnie Stone
President and CEO
Women in Need

Moderator

Jane Stevens
Editor
Aces Too High News