Trauma-Informed Care in Texas

“Often it isn’t the initiating trauma that creates seemingly insurmountable pain, but lack of support after.” –S. Kelley Harrell Building on recent postings’ themes of the health and social impacts of economic disparities and abuse, this is the first posting in a new series on trauma-informed care and its use and promise in Texas. Trauma is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing event, differing from common life stressors in that trauma causes a sense of intense fear, terror and helplessness that is beyond the normal range for typical experiences. Trauma-informed care programs are those that incorporate knowledge of the impact of trauma and traumatic stress into policies and programs of systems of care, such as the child welfare system, schools, and the healthcare system.[1] This series will first introduce and explore the concept and practices of trauma-informed care, with subsequent postings dedicated to trauma-informed care delivered in publicly-funded institu