Trauma-Informed Care Arrives in Ohio

—by Paul M. Kubek

The Center for Evidence-Based Practices has teamed up with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) to present a video-conference series about the six core principles of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This series supports OhioMHAS' statewide TIC Initiative, which is designed to help Ohioans receive trauma-informed interventions. Attend our Center's trainings and

  • Enhance your understanding of how trauma impacts the lives of people who receive behavioral healthcare services and those who provide it;
  • Learn how to change the culture of your organization to bring trauma-informed care to Ohio residents;
  • Learn how to enhance relationships between service providers and clients and, thus, improve treatment outcomes and quality of life.

Why Trauma-Informed Care?

Trauma has emerged as an important topic in behavioral healthcare because people in our communities experience it in complex ways, not only as victims of and witnesses to violence, abuse, and neglect in their homes and neighborhoods but also in institutions, such as jails, prisons, and psychiatric hospitals where forced restraints and isolation may be used. In addition, health and behavioral healthcare professionals who provide care to the traumatized often have their own trauma histories. They also experience the effects of secondary trauma through the behaviors, stories, and struggles of the people they serve.

Why Trauma-Informed Organizations?

Trauma-informed organizations work to reduce and eliminate policies and practices that might traumatize and re-traumatize its employees and clients. These organizations also become mindful of trauma triggers—events that might activate conscious and unconscious memories of and defenses against the effects of trauma. Learn more about Ohio's Statewide TIC Initiative—it's mission, goals, strategic framework, and much more—by visiting the OhioMHAS website.

Six Core Principles of TIC

  • Safety
  • Trustworthiness and Transparency
  •  Peer Support
  • Collaboration and Mutuality
  • Empowerment, Voice and Choice
  • Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues

(Source: SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach (2014), p10. Pub ID#: SMA14-4884.)

Supporting materials

National Resources

1.) TIP 57: Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services.
Pub ID: SMA14-4816. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

2.) SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.
Pub ID#: SMA14-4884. July 2014. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Ohio Resources

OhioMHAS’ Statewide Trauma-Informed Care Initiative

Hand-Outs from TIC Series

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Videos from TIC Series

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