The Trauma Informed Drug Counselor

Trauma informed care is “an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives” (SAMHA, 2012). It includes the use of carefully developed approaches that reduce the likelihood of re-traumatizing participants while integrating safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and connection into all interactions with participants.

Trauma informed care is not the same as trauma specific care, which can be defined as the use of evidence-based approaches that directly address the traumatic experiences of the participant. For both ethical and legal reasons, only trained trauma therapists should provide trauma specific care.

Trauma 101
Studies show that more than 70% of individuals in treatment for a substance use disorder have experienced some form of traumatic stress. Traumatic stress occurs when an individual is exposed to a potentially traumatizing event or situation that overwhelms her/his ability to cope. It can be caused by a one-time experience or complex trauma, which is the experiencing of multiple traumatic events.

Traumatic stress can lead to post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a severe anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to traumatic stress. PTSD is a clinical diagnosis that requires the presence of specific symptoms, such as nightmares about the traumatic event, avoidance of stimuli associated with the event, increased arousal, and hyper-vigilance.

Trauma survivors, whether they meet the diagnostic threshold for PTSD or not, often exhibit:

* Hyperarousal. Survivors can become extremely vigilant about their surroundings and often experience high levels of anxiety, which leads to sleep problems, trouble concentrating, feeling constantly on guard, or being easily startled.

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