Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

Trauma-Informed Approach Defined

  • Based on the understanding that many persons who access health and social services have had experiences of trauma in their lives
  • Trauma-informed approaches are not focused on treatment or disclosure of events, rather they approach is applied universally to ensure that persons are not further traumatized in the course of accessing care
  • There are six key principles of trauma-informed approaches. They include the following: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice and choice; cultural, historical & gender issues.  To view addtional information on the key principles click here.
    Addiction and Mental Health
    Crisis Intervention
    Background Information