Offering Trauma-Informed Support to Loved Ones

Supporting a loved one through trauma can be a delicate and challenging endeavor. Acknowledge that you have already taken a first step by finding yourself on this page. Educating yourself on what trauma is and how to best offer support is integral to being able responding more effectively to your loved one’s needs. You can help to create a safe, supportive environment that facilitates their healing. In the following sections, we’ll explore practical strategies and insights to help you navigate this challenging, yet profoundly important role.

Understanding Trauma

You don’t have to have endured the same adverse experiences as someone else to understand or offer support, but it is important to know what trauma is. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) describes trauma as “an event or circumstance resulting in: physical harm; emotional harm; and/or life-threatening harm.” It can stem from various experiences, such as abuse, accidents, war, natural disasters, medical illness, or loss, and can be acute (a single incident), chronic (repeated and prolonged), or complex (the result of multiple stressors, particularly early in life). Symptoms may include anxiety, depression, flashbacks, and difficulty trusting others, though there can be a wide range of effects depending on the person and the nature of the trauma. 

While it is true that human responses to stress are well studied, biological, and generally predictable, an individual’s interpretation of an event as traumatic is quite personal. What might be traumatic for one person might not be for another. In other words, it’s not so much what happened that matters—it’s how it impacts us. 

Every instance of trauma impacts individuals uniquely, affecting their emotional, physical, and psychological well-being, and can alter how individuals perceive the world, their relationships, and themselves. Offering trauma-informed support means approaching your loved one with sensitivity, understanding, and empathy. Here are some practical steps to provide effective trauma-informed support that align with SAMHSA’s 6 guiding principles of a trauma-informed approach.

Principles of Trauma-Informed Support

1. Safety: Create an environment where your loved one feels physically and emotionally safe.

2. Trustworthiness and Transparency: Be reliable and consistent in your actions. Building trust is crucial for someone who may feel vulnerable or betrayed.

3. Peer Support: Peer support can offer validation, empathy, and understanding from those who have shared similar experiences.

4. Collaboration and Mutuality: Work together with your loved one in their healing process.

5. Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: Empower your loved one by respecting their autonomy, highlighting their strengths, and validating their feelings.

6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues: Be aware of your loved one’s intersectional identities (ex. age, gender, race, ethnicity, occupation), which may shape their trauma and healing process. Listen rather than assuming, and remain humble in your desire to learn. 

Practical Steps for Providing Support to a Trauma-Impacted Individual

1. Educate Yourself: This cannot be overstated--Understanding trauma and its effects can help you respond more effectively. Read about trauma and consider seeking guidance from professionals or support groups, whether in your area or virtually.

2. Listen Actively: When they are ready and/or ask to talk, offer a non-judgmental, empathetic ear. Let them share their story at their own pace without pressing for details. Oftentimes, just being there and listening can be profoundly healing. If it makes sense, you can acknowledge their emotions without minimizing or dismissing them. Phrases like “It’s okay to feel this way” or “Your feelings are valid” can provide comfort.

3. Be Patient: Healing from trauma is a long and non-linear process. Be patient with your loved one and understand that progress may come in small steps, with ups and downs along the way. Understand that your loved one’s behaviors are coping mechanisms they’ve developed and are not aimed to hurt, offend, or push you away. Trauma survivors often need to establish and maintain boundaries to feel safe. Respect these boundaries, even if you don’t fully understand them.

4. Encourage Professional Help: Gently suggest professional help if they are open to it. Therapists and other professionals specializing in trauma can provide tools and strategies that friends and family are likely not equipped to offer. If 1:1 support doesn’t appeal to them, peer support groups are an alternative that can offer a sense of belonging and community and help reduce feelings of isolation and shame.

5. Promote Self-Care: Self-care is crucial in the healing process and can consist of physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being practices. Encourage your loved one to start/restart/continue activities they enjoy, such as exercise, mindfulness, journaling, playing music, or other positive hobbies. Eating nutritious foods and prioritizing a healthy amount of sleep are also important for overall wellness and help to establish a routine.

6. Take Care of Yourself: Supporting someone through trauma can be emotionally taxing, but remember, you are not alone in this process; professional resources and support networks are available for both you and your loved one. Ensure you’re also taking care of your own mental and emotional health and seek support for yourself if needed. As the saying goes, ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup.’ 

Above all, compassion is the cornerstone of trauma-informed support, and being there for someone you love is a profound act of empathy and care. Your continued presence and unwavering understanding can make a significant difference in their path to recovery.

Explaining the 6 Guiding Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

In all settings, but especially the healthcare industry, understanding and acknowledging the profound impact of trauma on individuals and communities is vital for a system’s flourishing. Trauma, whether experienced firsthand or indirectly, can leave lasting effects on a person's physical, emotional, and psychological well-being, and can lead to resistance in seeking care at all. When we hear that 70% of adults worldwide have reported experiencing some form of trauma, we are dealing with the vast majority, and must acknowledge and prioritize compassionate and effective support systems to address their needs.

So imagine for a moment if all healthcare professionals approached patient care in a similar way, acknowledging a person’s lived experience, without having to overtly call it out. Similar to visiting your favorite department store or restaurant or hotel chain, where you grow to naturally expect a certain standard of service from that provider, regardless of location. Or showing up to work feeling able to rely on your coworkers for support consistently, no matter what.

In an effort to provide a core framework that health organizations can adopt, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) developed six guiding principles for trauma-informed care. The intention is for institutions to train their staff on this methodology and integrate it into their practices, ultimately creating more environments that are sensitive to the needs of trauma survivors and able to promote healing and recovery.

SAMHSA’s 6 Guiding Principles To A Trauma-Informed Approach

1. Safety: The first principle of trauma-informed care emphasizes the importance of ensuring physical and emotional safety for all individuals. This involves creating environments where people feel secure and protected from harm both in the physical sense — evaluating their journey from the parking lot, all the way through to the office — and emotional sense — through a warm and friendly environment with approachable staff.

2. Trustworthiness and Transparency: Building trust is essential in any therapeutic relationship, as prior betrayal or abuse can lead to struggle with feelings of mistrust. Practitioners must be transparent in their actions and communications, maintaining consistency and reliability. An example of this is explaining in advance, and in detail, a procedure or process, and allowing time for individuals to ask questions.

3. Peer Support: Peer support plays a vital role in trauma recovery, providing individuals with validation, empathy, and understanding from those who have shared similar experiences. Peer support groups offer a sense of belonging and community, reducing feelings of isolation and shame, and (where appropriate) can even be part of a trauma treatment plan.

4. Collaboration and Mutuality: Trauma-informed care emphasizes collaboration between practitioners and individuals receiving services, and can translate to collaboration in any professional environment. Rather than adopting a hierarchical approach, we should strive for mutual respect and partnership. By involving individuals in decision-making processes and respecting their autonomy, practitioners can empower survivors to reclaim control over their own choices by building customized plans that support their daily lives.

5. Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: Empowerment lies at the heart of trauma recovery, enabling individuals to regain a sense of agency and self-assurance. Trauma-informed care seeks to amplify survivors' voices and choices, honoring their preferences and values, and allowing them to feel seen and heard. Practitioners should seek to provide opportunities for individuals to make informed decisions about their experience, so that they remain at the center of their own healing journey.

6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues: Recognizing the intersectionality of trauma is essential in providing culturally-competent care. Trauma-informed practitioners must consider the cultural, historical, and gender-specific factors that influence individuals' experiences of trauma and healing, including age, race, ability, sexual orientation and religion/beliefs, to name a few. By adopting the proper approach, practitioners can move past biases and tailor interactions to meet the diverse needs of individuals and communities.

Though founded by behavioral health organizations, implementing these principles doesn’t have to be limited to healthcare; they can be applied across various sectors and settings — including education, social services, and workplaces of all forms and sizes — to support individuals who have dealt with severe stress. Acknowledging that training and integrating these principles into action will take time and resources, it’s encouraging that a universal framework has been developed to reinforce the need for trauma- and resilience-informed communities. As organizations commit to this ethos and invest in ongoing education and structural changes, we will find ourselves closer to a workplace culture that prioritizes healing and well-being for all.