Essential Elements

As awareness increases about the effects of traumatic experiences, it has become more important for medical and behavioral health providers to integrate their care for children and families, to better identify, prevent, and treat traumatic stress, and minimize retraumatization. By implementing trauma-informed integrated care practices, organizations can position themselves to have the greatest positive impact on the whole health of children, adolescents, families, and communities.

The following elements are important to consider when creating trauma-informed integrated healthcare systems:

Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Integrated Healthcare System

  1. Creating a trauma-informed office.
  2. Involving and engaging family in program development, implementation, and evaluation.
  3. Promoting child and family resilience, enhancing protective factors, and addressing parent/caregiver trauma.
  4. Enhancing staff resilience and addressing secondary traumatic stress.
  5. Assessing trauma-related somatic and mental health issues.
  6. Providing coordinated, integrated care across child- and family-service systems.