A trauma-informed approach to our community-based work at Illinois Extension broadens our understanding of the experiences of our community members across the state. It provides us with the tools to ensure that our programs support long-term positive outcomes for individuals and safeguard against re-traumatization in our programs and activities.
For instance, if farm families who have experienced severe loss due to a natural disaster are participating in a disaster preparedness program, a trauma-informed approach considers not only the physical and financial impact of loss and rebuilding, but also the psychological and emotional effects of the traumatic event over which they had no control. An informed and responsive approach enables us to tailor our marketing and the information we are providing through a trauma-informed lens.
What is trauma?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes individual trauma as an event or circumstance resulting in physical harm, emotional harm, and/or life-threatening harm.
Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.
Who is affected by trauma?
Trauma is a common experience for adults and children in American communities.
- 70 percent of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives (National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare).
- About 38.3 percent of Illinois children have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (such as divorce, separation, or financial hardship), and 15.5% have experienced two or more (Illinois Department of Public Health).
Trauma is especially common in the lives of people with mental and substance use disorders. For this reason, the need to address trauma is increasingly seen as an important part of effective behavioral health care and an integral part of the healing and recovery process (SAMHSA). Also, for this reason, it is essential to understand and address trauma in our community-based work as we work with people across the life course.
What are the effects of Trauma?
Trauma affects everyone differently, and how someone responds to a traumatic experience (e.g., neglect, abuse, death, natural or human-made disaster) is personal. While some individuals who experience trauma may go on to live their lives without lasting negative effects, others may have ongoing challenges such as excessive substance use, overwhelming sadness, difficulty making connections with others, and eating or sleeping too much or too little. It matters if someone has a strong support system in place and protective factors that support their overall health and wellness (SAMHSA).
What is a trauma-informed approach?
A program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, while seeking to actively resist re-traumatization.
Trauma-informed approaches recognize and intentionally respond to the lasting adverse effects of experiencing traumatic events through several principles (SAMHSA):
- Safety: participants and staff feel physically and psychologically safe.
- Peer support: peer support and mutual self-help are key as vehicles for establishing safety and hope, building trust, enhancing collaboration, and utilizing their lived experience to promote recovery and healing.
- Trustworthiness and Transparency: organizational decisions are conducted with the goal of building and maintaining trust with participants and staff.
- Collaboration and Mutuality: importance is placed on partnering and leveling power differences between staff and service participants.
- Empowerment, Voice and Choice: organizations foster a belief in the primacy of the people who are served to heal and promote recovery from trauma.
Becoming Trauma-Informed
Trauma may place a substantial burden on the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Due to the nature of our work, Extension has an essential role in embedding a trauma-informed lens in every phase of our work with communities.
Becoming trauma-informed means recognizing that people often have many different types of trauma in their lives. People who have been traumatized need support and understanding from those around them. Understanding the impact of trauma is an important first step in becoming a compassionate and supportive member of the communities we serve. As we work with clientele, providing welcoming spaces can make a difference in how individuals engage with us and how we build long-term collaborative relationships.
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Usplash | Melanie Kanzler
Resources
- Adverse Childhood Experiences
- How to Manage Trauma
- Burcham, C., & Hobbs-Curley, T. (2026, August 25). The Trauma-informed professional: Understanding, resilience, and trauma-Informed [video]. Illinois Media Space.
References
Substance abuse and mental health services administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach.