Trauma Informed Care (TIC) - Ohio

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Vision: To advance Trauma-Informed Care in Ohio

Mission: To expand opportunities for Ohioans to receive trauma-informed interventions by enhancing efforts for practitioners, facilities, and agencies to become competent in trauma-informed practices

Ohio's Trauma-Informed Care Initiative

Since Summer of 2013, an interagency workgroup comprised of leaders from Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) and Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) has been meeting to formulate plans to expand TIC across the state. A portion of the “Strong Families, Safe Communities” funds from the Governor’s Office have been earmarked for this purpose. The National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC)/SAMHSA and Ohio Center for Innovative Practices (CIP) have also consulted formally, and Additional conversations and advice from Ohio Hospital Association, OACBHA, Ohio Council, PCSAO, and many others.

Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or a set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well being.

Recognizing & Responding to Trauma

​Impact of Trauma on Individuals with DD

Building Resilience: 4 Tools to Assist with Those We Serve & Ourselves

Becoming a Trauma-Informed Agency

Events

The focus on events puts the cause of trauma on the environment, not in a defect of the person. This underlies the basic principle of the trauma-informed approach. Events can be a single event, a series of events, or chronic conditions. People may experience an event directly, witness an event, or feel threatened hearing about an event that affects someone they know.

There is a wide range of events that could potentially create trauma, including violence, abuse, terrorism, forced displacement, natural disaster, or death of a loved one.

Experiences

A person’s experience of trauma may be profoundly affected by when, how, where, and how often it occurs. Trauma can result from a single event or multiple traumatic events over time.

The focus on experience highlights the fact that not every person experiences the same events as traumatic.

Experiences that produce trauma include

Effects Trauma often has lasting and adverse effects on a person’s functioning, as well as their mental, physical, social, and emotional well-being. Trauma can result in

A program, organization or system that is trauma-informed

Core Principles

Outcomes

61% of men and 51% of women with a mental health issue reported experiencing at least one trauma in their lifetime with these experiences listed as the most common:

According to a study in 2015 by the National Council for Behavioral Health,

In recent years, research, training, and information have helped build awareness about the impact of trauma on the lives of children. This awareness has resulted in a new understanding about the importance of addressing existing trauma exposure and preventing re-traumatization.

The leadership in federal, state, and local child-serving systems, including child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, education, primary care, Medicaid, and others, has recognized the urgency of changing the fundamental question from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

The challenge now is to ensure this paradigm shift permeates all levels of child-serving systems and is disseminated to everyone who interacts with the lives of children, from policymakers at the state level to the receptionist in the local provider agency.

According to a 2014 study by Envision,

Characteristics that influence rates of trauma in the developmental disabilities population:

As trauma symptoms are normalized, feelings of shame and self-blame are reduced or eliminated. Symptoms are viewed as the body’s attempt to re-establish balance to the nervous system.

Shift in Thinking: Coping Mechanisms

Survival Response: Fight

Survival Response: Flight

Survival Response: Freeze

Shift in Thinking: Resiliency

Resiliency is an inner capacity that when nurtured, facilitated, and supported by others empowers children, young people, and families to meet life’s challenges with a sense of self-determination, mastery, hope, and well-being.     

The four C’s of resiliency are control, connection, competency, and contribution.

Ask: “What happened to you?”

Then, support resiliency with four statements.

Team members can also

TIC

Cross-System Initiatives Manager, DODD

Tina Evans

Trauma-competent Care Project Coordinator

Marjorie Kukor, Ph.D.

Trauma-competent Care Project

A Companion Guide to Growing Resilience (ebook)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Trauma Competent Care

Strong Families, Safe Communities

eBased Academy

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