IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS

TRAUMA - Trauma results from an event, series of events, or a set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening. Potentially traumatic events may include those directly experienced by the individual, as well as witnessing such events as threatening to others (e.g., a loved one). Depending on the presence of resilience factors, trauma can create biologically-based responses and can have long-lasting, adverse effects on the individual’s learning, relationships, functioning, and mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Not all individuals will experience a potentially traumatic event in the same way. An individual’s reaction to the event may influence its effect on their functioning and wellbeing.

TOXIC STRESS - Toxic stress response can occur when a child experiences strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity—such as physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, and/or the accumulated burdens of family economic hardship—without adequate adult support. This kind of prolonged activation of the stress response systems can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other organ systems and increase the risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment, well into the adult years

ACEs - The CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations of childhood abuse and neglect and household challenges and later-life health and well-being. The original ACE Study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente from 1995 to 1997 with two waves of data collection. Over 17,000 Health Maintenance Organization members from Southern California receiving physical exams completed confidential surveys regarding their childhood experiences and current health status and behaviors. ACEs are common across all populations. Almost two-thirds of study participants reported at least one ACE, and more than one in five reported three or more ACEs. Some populations are more vulnerable to experiencing ACEs because of the social and economic conditions in which they live, learn, work and play.

The ACE score is the total sum of the different categories of ACEs reported by participants. Study findings show a graded dose- response relationship between ACEs and negative health and well-being outcomes. In other words, as the number of ACEs increases so does the risk for negative outcomes

TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE - Trauma-Informed Care is a strengths-based approach to service delivery and organizational structure grounded in an understanding of and responsiveness to the widespread impact of trauma, including historical and identity-based trauma, that:

• recognizes the symptoms of trauma and its effects on individuals, families, communities, and those who provide services or work in care settings,

• understands multiple, complex paths to recovery,

• emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for providers, survivors, and their families.

• creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of safety, control, and empowerment,

• responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma and recovery into policies, procedures, and practices, and

• seeks to actively prevent re-traumatization.
  

TRAUMA-INFORMED SCHOOL MODEL (TISM) -

HEALING-CENTERED PRACTICES - Healing-centered practices incorporate trauma-informed approaches and identify strengths inherent to an individual or community as the foundation for healing. They focus on the fundamental belief that the person who has survived trauma is not broken or needing to be fixed but is already whole and has the capacity to grow from what happened to them. New skills are built upon that foundation of strength and wholeness using holistic, evidence-informed tools that have been shown to increase self- efficacy, coping, and resilience. They encourage introspection to develop self-discovery, self-worth, and healing through engagement, empowerment, and self-care without guilt. If trauma-informed care is moving from “what’s wrong with you?” to “what happened to you?”, then healing-centered practices are moving on to “what’s good about you?”

Key elements of Healing-Centered Practices include:

• Cultural connectivity and restoration of identity,

• Focus on purpose and a plan for the future,

• Promotion of a plan for self-care,

• Somatic approaches to move trauma out of the body like deep breathing, yoga, dance, exercise, etc.,

• Understanding that everyone heals in a different way so there is no one-size-fits all approach,

• Awareness of the policies, practices, and political decisions that create trauma, and of the civic actions that address those conditions, and

• Understanding of activities that contribute to a sense of purpose, power, and control over our responses to life situations for individuals and communities.
  

SELF-CARE -

MINDFULNESS -