Trauma Informed Care Basics
A physically or psychologically distressing response to an event or series of events that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, causing long-lasting negative effects on mental, physical, and emotional functioning.
What is trauma?
This trauma‑informed strategy focuses on helping LGBTQ+ individuals identify and build on their strengths, resilience, and coping skills rather than centering only on trauma.
What is a strengths based approach?
A 41‑year‑old queer client with a mobility disability begins canceling appointments with their disability‑services case worker after staff repeatedly refer to their same‑gender partner as their “friend” and exclude the partner from care‑planning meetings. The client later shares that this mirrors past experiences where providers minimized their relationships because of their LGBTQ+ identity. How can the case worker act differently?
Recognize the client’s partner as a legitimate support person and ensuring they are included in care planning when the client requests it
Trauma‑informed systems aim to reduce this phenomenon, which occurs when environments unintentionally recreate past harm.
What is retraumatization?
Because LGBTQ+ people often face discrimination in healthcare, this trauma‑informed practice involves recognizing how identity‑based stressors shape a person’s experiences.
What is cultural humility?
A 76‑year‑old lesbian client becomes increasingly hesitant to meet with her county case worker after he repeatedly encourages her to “reconnect with family” for support, not realizing she was disowned decades ago and relies entirely on her chosen family. The client later shares that these suggestions make her feel unseen and remind her of past service providers who dismissed her lived reality. How should the case worker respond?
Recognize the role of chosen family in LGBTQ+ elders’ lives and collaborating to strengthen the support networks the client identifies as safe
These two forms of trauma acknowledge the long‑term effects of oppression and systemic harm on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.
What are historical trauma and racial trauma?
This approach acknowledges that LGBTQ+ individuals may have intersecting identities—such as race, disability, or immigration status—that shape their trauma and resilience.
What is applying an intersectional lens?
A bisexual student becomes withdrawn during a parent‑teacher meeting because their parent dismisses their identity as “just a phase.” How can a social worker use trauma informed care to help support the student without escalating family conflict?
Validating the student privately and maintaining a supportive, non‑confrontational stance
This trauma‑informed practice involves giving clients choices whenever possible to reduce power imbalances and support healing.
What is promoting empowerment and autonomy?
This term describes the chronic stress experienced by marginalized groups stemming from stigma, discrimination, and social disadvantage.
What is minority stress?
A 16‑year‑old transgender youth in foster care tells their case worker they don’t feel safe because the foster parent insists on discussing the youth’s “real gender” during meals and prayer time. The youth says they feel pressured to “act like a boy” to avoid conflict. What are trauma informed next steps that the case worker could take?
Assess the placement for emotional safety, initiate a corrective plan, or find alternative placement in an affirming foster home
This principle encourages staff to be aware of their own emotional responses so they don’t unintentionally escalate a client’s distress.
What is practicing self‑awareness and emotional regulation?
This form of trauma occurs when institutions, such as schools, healthcare systems, or government agencies create policies or practices that harm LGBTQ+ individuals.
What is systemic or institutional trauma?
A 38‑year‑old transgender woman begins arriving late and leaving early from therapy after the clinician repeatedly directs all coping‑skills discussions toward “managing dysphoria,” even though the client has stated that her primary concern is workplace burnout. The client later shares that she feels the clinician only sees her as “trans” rather than as a whole person. How should the clinician respond?
Attempt to repair the rupture by acknowledging the harm and collaboratively resetting treatment goals, practice cultural humility by recognizing and correcting identity‑based bias in the therapeutic approach, avoid over‑pathologizing identity and instead using a whole‑person, strengths‑based framework