Trauma-Informed Care

Chronic exposure to traumatic stress is increasingly understood as a common denominator among children, youth, and adults across service systems. Traumatic experiences include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; family and community violence; natural disasters; wars; and the ongoing, cumulative impact of poverty, racism, and oppression. Repeated exposure to traumatic events without adequate support—particularly from an early age—can have a devastating, long-term impact on health and well-being.

Organizational trauma-informed care is a systemic approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma and promotes resilience and healing. Trauma-informed organizations ensure that mission, culture, and practice are aligned to recognize and support trauma-survivors.

Featured Work

FEATURED TOOL

Counselor with client

Organizational Capacity Scale

Is your organization trauma-informed?

Trauma-Informed Care: An Ecological Response

Trauma-informed care represents an emerging shift in paradigm and practice. Originally published in the Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, this journal article provides a comprehensive review of trauma-informed care—its evolution, current models and practice, and evidence base.

Trauma-Informed Care and Trauma-Specific Services: A Comprehensive Approach to Trauma Intervention

Historically, health and human service systems have served people who have experienced trauma without acknowledging, understanding, or addressing its impact and the need for tailored responses. This white paper addresses the need for a comprehensive approach to trauma intervention across service settings.

Trauma-Informed Care and Veterans

AIR presented series of webinars that addressed the impact of trauma on veterans and highlighted trauma-informed care as an organization-wide approach to understanding and responding to trauma. Special focus was given to the experiences of women veterans and how to provide trauma-informed care to this population.

Latest Work

22 May 2020
Brief

Recognizing the Role of Afterschool and Summer Programs and Systems in Reopening and Rebuilding

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21 May 2020
Brief

COVID-19 and Whole Child Efforts

Several national organizations have offered frameworks and resources for planning for the reopening school buildings closed due to COVID-19. Policymakers and practitioners will need a shared understanding of the common whole child terms and phrases as they plan and work to mobilize student supports. This resource provides definitions for key terms along with an analysis of the inclusion of these terms in the various reopening guidance documents.
Image of young girl getting onto a school bus
1 May 2020
Spotlight

Mental Health Awareness

Raising awareness and increasing the understanding of mental health can change the way society views and responds to this complex issue. AIR promotes positive mental health through school and community-based approaches involving youth, families, school, health care providers, and other stakeholders.
18 Mar 2020
Spotlight

AIR’s COVID-19 Response and Resources

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. This virus, also known as COVID-19, has dramatically changed the lives of people around the globe, touching all aspects of life, from health care to education to the economy. In this new world of rapidly changing information about the virus, AIR seeks to be a source of evidence-based information that examines and begins to understand the various complexities of this crisis.
Image of girl with flag holding soldier's hand
8 Nov 2019
Spotlight

Caring for America's Veterans

Hundreds of thousands of veterans return from conflict having experienced trauma; many struggle with PTSD and some are at risk for homelessness. We can serve veterans better by developing the best trauma-informed care practices, engaging families, and making the physical and mental well-being of service men and women a priority.
28 Mar 2019 | 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Event

Webinar: Research-Based, Trauma-Responsive Education Practices

Join REL Southwest for a free webinar on research-based, trauma-responsive education practices. In this interactive webinar, participants will hear an overview of trauma in schools, learn about current research on trauma-responsive strategies and practices and how to create trauma-responsive school environments, and hear one teacher's direct experiences with trauma-responsive practices.
30 May 2018
Toolkit

Trauma-Sensitive Schools Toolkit

Commissioned by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, AIR developed a collection of guides and online training for college campus health staff caring for students who have experienced sexual assault and other trauma.
Project

Changing the Trajectories of Children in Foster Care: The Safe Babies Court Team Evaluation

Children in foster care are at risk for poor developmental outcomes, including increased rates of poor health, higher rates of depression and anxiety, more attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorders, more problems in school, and increased rates of incarceration and suicide. The Safe Babies Court Team™, created by ZERO TO THREE, is an approach that aims to reduce the time a child spends in foster care before reaching a permanent, safe home. The approach also aims to improve the long-term well-being of children and families in the child welfare system.
14 Sep 2017
Spotlight

Helping Trauma Survivors after a Natural Disaster

Natural disasters such as hurricanes often are not one-time, discrete events but rather, the start of ongoing traumatic stresses. Survivors face the loss of their homes, possessions, and even loved ones, while adapting to new routines and support systems, sometimes in unfamiliar environments. These resources describe how "trauma-informed" systems of care address emergencies and longer-term challenges.
Project

Tribal Defending Childhood Initiative

The Tribal Defending Childhood Initiative supports four federally recognized tribes—the White Earth Nation (Minnesota); the Winnebago Tribe (Nebraska); the Northern Arapahoe Tribe (Wyoming); and the Southern Ute Tribe (Colorado)—as they develop or continue developing trauma-informed practices and procedures across juvenile justice and related child-serving systems.
13 Apr 2017
Service

Content and Technical Expertise in Refugee and Migrant Initiatives

AIR offers a broad range of services in areas that support our human rights and refugee initiatives. We are committed to applying and producing the best evidence and the highest quality work. Our quality assurance process encompasses all stages of a project, from research design to evidence-based conclusions and recommendations, to implementation and scale-up.
Project

Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A 2014-15 Snapshot

The Snapshot explores challenges facing transitional housing programs serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and examines underlying issues, contributing factors, and diverse approaches taken to address those challenges.
1 Jan 2017
ESSA

ESSA │Health and Wellness

Social and emotional well-being, and positive mental and physical health are essential to overall student success. Individual factors like genetics, physical health, coping skills, and the unexpected traumatic events can impact student outcomes. By assessing and improving school and community environments, AIR works to reduce risk factors, promote health, and respond to students’ needs.
1 Dec 2016
Report

Report │Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A 2014-15 Snapshot

The 12 chapters of the Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A 2014-15 Snapshot report comprehensively explore the challenges facing transitional housing programs and the survivors of domestic and sexual violence they serve, the underlying issues and contributing factors, and the diverse approaches that programs take to address those challenges.
Project

Defending Childhood American Indian/Alaska Native Policy Initiative: Supporting Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice Systems for Tribes

The 2014 Attorney General’s Advisory Committee report on American Indian/Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence proclaimed the need for a re-imagined and re-created tribal juvenile justice system focused on prevention, treatment, and healing. AIR and its partners seek to serve and support the vision of promoting the health and well-being of tribal youth, families, and communities by providing technical assistance to foster the development and implementation of innovative, culturally appropriate, and sustainable trauma-informed response models across all child-serving systems.
Kathleen Guarino
2 May 2016
Video

Long Story Short: How Can Organizations Measure Trauma-Informed Care to Promote Healing?

Trauma disproportionately affects people involved with social service organizations like homeless shelters and mental health centers. In this video interview, Kathleen Guarino discusses how such organizations can measure their level of trauma-informed care and promote healing among trauma survivors.
14 Mar 2016
Toolkit

Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum

Organizational trauma-informed care is an agency-wide approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of trauma and its consequences and promotes healing and resilience. AIR's Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum supports organizations in embedding trauma-informed practices into all aspects of organizational operation and culture.
Image of Allison Gandhi
7 Mar 2016
Blog Post

What Can Massachusetts’ Wraparound Zones Teach Us About School Turnaround?

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states the authority and flexibility to turn around their lowest performing schools. In this blog post, Allison Gandhi asks if states can succeed where federal policy requirements have run into walls, using the success of the Massachusetts Wraparound Zone initiative as an example.
TIC Framework thumbnail
20 Jan 2016
Toolkit

Framework for Building Trauma-Informed Organizations and Systems

Organizational trauma-informed care is a systemic approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma and promotes resilience and healing. The Framework for Building Trauma-Informed Organizations and Systems offers a process and tools for adopting trauma-informed care in social service settings.
TIC scale thumbnail
20 Jan 2016
Toolkit

Trauma-Informed Organizational Capacity Scale

Trauma-informed organizations ensure that mission, culture, and practice are aligned to recognize and support trauma-survivors. The Trauma-Informed Organizational Capacity Scale is the first psychometrically validated instrument to gauge the extent to which health and human service organizations provide trauma-informed care.
15 Jan 2016
Service

Trauma-Informed Care in Service Systems

Organizational trauma-informed care is a systemic approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma and promotes resilience and healing.

Infographic: Trauma-Informed Care
10 Jan 2016
Infographic

Assessing Trauma-Informed Care in Organizations

Organizational trauma-informed care is a systemic approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma and promotes resilience and healing. This infographic illustrates the basics of trauma-informed care and shows how organizations can assess their ability to care for people affected by trauma.
Counselor with client
5 Jan 2016
Commentary

What Can We Do About Gun Violence While We Wait for Congress to Act?

What can be done right now to prevent firearms violence—from suicide, to rampages by those who are mentally ill, to acts of terrorism—without heavy reliance on the federal government? Patricia Campie suggests what states, cities, employers, and communities can do.
College campus at night
13 Oct 2015
Toolkit

Safe Place Resource Kit: Trauma Sensitive Practice for Health Centers Serving Higher Education Students

Roughly one in five women nationally is sexually assaulted while in college. This diverse collection of tools uses trauma-informed care as a foundation for helping university health centers deal with this crisis.
12 May 2015
Brief

Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach for Youth Across Service Sectors

Recent upheaval in urban areas reminds us of the devastating impact of trauma on young people. This issue brief defines trauma and highlights its prevalence, opportunities for recovery, and offers seven core principles of a trauma-informed approach for youth service providers.
2016 Federal Budget cover
4 Feb 2015
Spotlight

Programs with New Funding in the Proposed Budget: What Does Research Say About Their Effectiveness?

President Obama’s proposed federal budget would increase funding for many education initiatives, programs for homeless veterans and disabled workers, technology training for teachers, and other programs. What does research and evidence say about these programs' effectiveness and value?
22 Jan 2015
Journal Article

Trauma-Informed Care: An Ecological Response

Trauma-informed care represents an emerging shift in paradigm and practice. This article, originally published in the Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, provides a comprehensive review of trauma-informed care—its evolution, current models and practice, and evidence base.
10 Dec 2014 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Event

Webinar: Meeting the Unique Needs of Women Veterans

Understanding the unique experiences and needs of women veterans is critical to providing quality care.

10 Dec 2014
Webinar

Webinar Series: Trauma-informed Care and Veterans

In the fall of 2014, the National Center on Family Homelessness at AIR presented a free online program that addressed the impact of trauma on veterans and highlighted trauma-informed care as an organization-wide approach to understanding and responding to trauma. Special focus was given to the experiences of women veterans and how to provide trauma-informed care to this population.
3 Dec 2014 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Event

Webinar: Lessons from the Field - Adopting Trauma-Informed Care

This session provides participants with the opportunity to learn how agencies serving veterans have integrated a trauma-informed framework.

19 Nov 2014 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Event

Webinar: Building a Trauma-Informed Organization

The process of becoming trauma-informed requires a long-term commitment to shifting organizational culture and practice. This session outlines a multi-phased model of organizational change.

Number of homeless women veterans
19 Nov 2014
Infographic

Number of Homeless Women Veterans Is Rising

The years 2006 to 2010 saw a 141% increase in the number of homeless women veterans, as this infographic shows.
11 Nov 2014
Brief

Trauma-Informed Care for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: An Organization-Wide Framework

Trauma-informed care is a universal framework for addressing trauma that requires changes to the practices, policies, and culture of an entire organization, so all staff have the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to support veterans. This brief provides an introduction to trauma-informed care and identifies reasons why trauma-informed care is a best practice for serving veterans experiencing homelessness.
11 Nov 2014
Brief

Brief Series: Trauma-Informed Care for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

The National Center on Family Homelessness has developed a series of briefs based on findings from Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness, a first-of-its-kind, multi-site demonstration project focused on building the capacity of veteran-serving agencies, particularly those serving women veterans, to adopt a universal, organization-wide approach to understanding and responding to trauma.
15 Oct 2014
Report

Trauma-Informed Care and Trauma-Specific Services: A Comprehensive Approach to Trauma Intervention

Historically, health and human service systems have served people who have experienced trauma without acknowledging, understanding, or addressing its impact and the need for tailored responses. This brief addresses the need for a comprehensive approach to trauma intervention across service settings.
14 Oct 2014 | 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Event

Trauma-Informed Care: Change the Culture to Change the Outcome

Advances in awareness and knowledge of the prevalence and impact of traumatic stress have led to a call to action by federal agencies, researchers and service providers to implement “trauma-informed care” across service systems. What is trauma-informed care? How is it different from trauma-specific services? How does it change the culture of organizations and service systems? What is needed to implement it? And, most important, what is its impact? AIR is hosting a luncheon discussion to explore these questions, including an expert panel for an interactive dialogue on how to bring trauma-informed care to scale across service systems.
10 Nov 2013
Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet: Women Veterans, Homelessness, and Trauma

Women veterans are two to four times more likely to be homeless than non-veteran women. This fact sheet contains information on the prevalence and impact of trauma in the lives of women veterans, particularly those experiencing homelessness.

Project

Homelessness and Trauma in the Lives of Women Veterans

Women veterans are two to four times more likely to be homeless than non-veteran women. This fact sheet contains information on the prevalence and impact of trauma in the lives of women veterans, particularly those experiencing homelessness.

3 Sep 2013
Report

What Works to Prevent Urban Violence Among Proven Risk Young Men?

Youth violence presents significant challenges across the U.S., disrupts communities and economic development, increases health care costs, and decreases property values—not to mention the human impact. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services contracted with justice experts from AIR—along with WestEd and the Justice Resource Institute—to study the development and implementation of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative in 11 of the most violent communities across the state.
20 Jun 2013
Toolkit

Closing the Gap: Integrating Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence

While there are well-established links in the literature on domestic violence and homelessness, integration of the two systems in policy and practice is still emerging. This toolkit was created to address the gap between domestic violence and homeless service systems.

Project

AIR Helps NYC Child Welfare Agency Assist Families Struggling after Hurricane Sandy

On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy devastated the Eastern coastline, particularly affecting areas of New York City and Long Island where many homes and businesses were destroyed. AIR supports New York City's Administration for Children's Services in recovery and preparation for future disasters.
22 Apr 2013
Report

Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children

Recent events such as those in Oklahoma, Boston, and Texas can leave people—especially children—feeling sad, angry, out of control, overwhelmed, and unsafe. The National Center on Family Homelessness developed a resource, Understanding Traumatic Stress in Children, to help.

29 Mar 2013
Toolkit

Preventing, Assessing, and Intervening in Teen Dating Abuse

AIR’s National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments has released a training toolkit on teenage dating abuse for instructional support personnel, such as guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, and other professionals. Research shows that schools can make a difference in preventing interpersonal teen violence.

Project

Trauma-Informed Care for Organizations Serving Homeless Female Veterans

Research shows that traumatic experiences prior to and during military service can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of women Veterans, increasing their risk for homelessness. Traumatic experiences can also affect ability to maintain health and sustain employment. With advances in awareness of the prevalence and impact of trauma in the lives of women Veterans, trauma-informed care is now seen as a best practice to support recovery.
14 Aug 2011
Toolkit

Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers

The National Center on Family Homelessness, in conjunction with the Women's Bureau in the U.S. Department of Labor, developed this guide to help service providers handle the specific needs of homeless women veterans.

Project

Community Circles of Support for Veterans' Families

The return of American men and women in uniform serving in Iraq and Afghanistan rivals the scale of World War II demobilizations in some communities. In partnership with the National Center on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the National Center on Family Homelessness created Community Circles of Support for Veterans Families, a multi-site demonstration project designed for use by community-based organizations.
5 Sep 2009
Toolkit

Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit

The Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit offers concrete guidelines for organizations to assess whether they are responding appropriately to the needs of families who have experienced traumatic stress.