Trauma is more common than many people realize. Trauma can stem from a single event, chronic stress, community violence or systemic inequities, and it often has lasting and far reaching effects.
This fall, the University of Minnesota College of Continuing & Professional Studies (CCAPS) launched a new, fully online Trauma Informed Care Certificate.
Tom Hegblom, director of graduate studies for the counselor education programs in CCAPS, answers questions about the benefits of trauma-informed care and how it helps people across contexts.
Q: What is trauma-informed care?
Dr. Hegblom: Trauma-informed care is an approach that recognizes how experiences of trauma can impact a person’s physical health, emotional wellbeing, relationships and sense of safety. Trauma is wide-ranging and can include experiences such as abuse, violence, loss, discrimination, accidents or other events that feel overwhelming or threatening. A trauma-informed approach shifts the focus from simply asking what might be wrong with someone to considering what has happened to them and how those experiences might be affecting them. Trauma-informed care does not assume that everyone has experienced trauma or requires peo...