Trauma Informed Care Competencies
  • Understands the difference between trauma-informed and trauma-specific services
  • Understands the differences among various kinds of abuse and trauma, including: physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; domestic violence; experiences of war for both combat veterans and survivors of war; natural disasters; and community violence
  • Understands the different effects that various kinds of trauma have on human development and the development of psychological and substance use issues
  • Understands how protective factors, such as strong emotional connections to safe and nonjudgmental people and individual resilience, can prevent and ameliorate the negative impact trauma has on both human development and the development of psychological and substance use issues
  • Understands the importance of ensuring the physical and emotional safety of clients
  • Understands the importance of not engaging in behaviors, such as confrontation of substance use or other seemingly unhealthy client behaviors, that might activate trauma symptoms or acute stress reactions
  • Demonstrates knowledge of how trauma affects diverse people throughout their lifespans and with different mental health problems, cognitive and physical disabilities, and substance use issues
  • Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of trauma on diverse cultures with regard to the meanings various cultures attach to trauma and the attitudes they have regarding behavioral health treatment
  • Demonstrates knowledge of the variety of ways clients express stress reactions both behaviorally (e.g., avoidance, aggression, passivity) and psychologically/emotionally (e.g., hyperarousal, avoidance, intrusive memories)
  • Expedites client-directed choice and demonstrates a willingness to work within a mutually empowering (as opposed to a hierarchical) power structure in the therapeutic relationship
  • Maintains clarity of roles and boundaries in the therapeutic relationship
  • Demonstrates competence in screening and assessment of trauma history (within the bounds of his or her licensing and scope of practice), including knowledge of and practice with specific screening tools
  • Shows competence in screening and assessment of substance use disorders (within the bounds of his or her licensing and scope of practice), including knowledge of and practice with specific screening tools
  • Demonstrates an ability to identify clients' strengths, coping resources, and resilience
  • Facilitates collaborative treatment and recovery planning with an emphasis on personal choice and a focus on clients' goals and knowledge of what has previously worked for them
  • Respects clients' ways of managing stress reactions while supporting and facilitating taking risks to acquire different coping skills that are consistent with clients' values and preferred identity and way of being in the world
  • Demonstrates knowledge and skill in general trauma-informed counseling strategies, including, but not limited to, grounding techniques that manage dissociative experiences, cognitive- behavioral tools that focus on both anxiety reduction and distress tolerance, and stress management and relaxation tools that reduce hyperarousal