Trauma
A Trauma-Informed Care Approach
Traumatic stress is incredibly prevalent in the general population, with almost 70% of adults in the U.S. having experienced some type of traumatic event in their lifetime. Traumatic stress is also incredibly prevalent among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) because they are at a much higher risk of experiencing traumatic situations like abuse, neglect, and exploitation. These experiences can affect individuals with IDD in the same way trauma affects anyone else, having a tremendous impact on a person’s mental and physical health and well-being.
The Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) framework involves recognizing, understanding, and responding to the effects of trauma, not only in persons served but in staff and throughout the entire organization. It also involves shifting one’s mindset surrounding trauma and seeing it not as a pathological reaction, but rather as an adaptive response to a traumatic event. The goal of the TIC approach is to prevent traumatic situations from occurring and prevent re-traumatization for survivors of trauma.
Koinonia is committed to becoming a TIC agency and is currently conducting a self-assessment that will create a roadmap for achieving this goal over the next five years.