Trauma-Informed Care

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), trauma-informed care consists of:

  • Understanding trauma: Recognizing the impact of trauma and how it can affect people and groups.

  • Identifying signs of trauma: Recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved. 

  • Responding to trauma: Integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices.

  • Resisting re-traumatization: Actively working to prevent clients and staff from being re-traumatized.

  • This is guided by six key principles:

    • Safety

    • Trustworthiness and transparency

    • Peer support

    • Collaboration and mutuality

    • Empowerment, voice, and choice

    • Cultural, historical, and gender issues

Mended Counseling & Trauma Services strives to implement these principles through its care of clients and employees, its support for continuing education in trauma-focused modalities, and its efforts to be financially accessible, transparent, collaborative, and empowering of its clients.