How the Trauma-Informed Approach Can Help Treat Substance Use Disorders

Abstract

People who experience trauma- especially Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)- are at an elevated risk for substance use disorders, mental illness, and physical disorders. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an evidence-based approach to deliver healthcare in a way that recognizes and responds to the long-term health effects of the experience of trauma. In the 2014 Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 57, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) addressed trauma-related prevention, screening, assessment, intervention, and treatment issues and strategies, providing a framework for organizations that wanted to take a trauma informed approach. Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to: Explain the connection between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Substance Use Disorders; Describe promising practices for implementing the trauma-informed care approach; and Consider how trauma-informed care might work in your organization.