The term “Trauma-Informed Care,” or TIC, has been buzzing around lately and you may be interested to know what it is about. Trauma-Informed Care is a new form of treatment creating positive results in people that have a trauma history. In Fayette County, we are hoping to encourage our community partners in the local schools, community agencies and law enforcement to embrace this form of treatment.
Trauma itself can be defined as an event, a series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by a person as physical or emotionally harmful or threatening, which has lasting adverse effects on the person’s functioning and physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being.
Trauma looks very differently for people and what is not traumatic to one person can be life changing to another. Trauma is wide-ranging and can vary from ordinary life trauma such as divorce, parent with a drug problem, illness or accidents to extreme experiences of war, torture, rape or genocide.
Studies have shown that trauma isn’t just an isolated incident that people face. Their brains are altered because of the experience and they can relive those physical and emotional symptoms for a lifetime to come. Shorter life expectancy has even been linked to trauma victims due to seeking out lifestyles to numb the pain, such as drugs, alcohol and overeating.
It is important that communities understand the impact of trauma and how to help people build resiliency so that they can live productive lives.
Trauma-Informed Care begins by asking people “What happened TO you,” instead of “What’s wrong WITH you?”
On Jan. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Southern State Community College, as a community partner the Fayette County Board of DD is hosting a FREE training for anyone interested in learning more about trauma, the impacts it has on people’s lives and how to build supports and resiliency for victims. We highly encourage anyone who works in our community with children or adults to attend. The trainers are certified trauma specialists and doctors and will give us all information that can be life changing. To register, please go to http://www.planetreg.com/E121211258132145
For more information about any of the services or programs offered by Fayette County Board of DD, please call 740-335-7453 or visit www.fayettedd.com.
