Abstract
Trauma-informed care demands that we better understand how people may experience illness, injury, and care, through the conceptual lens of trauma and coping with trauma’s effects. It acknowledges challenges instigated by a traumatic event (or events) and the development of adaptive responses to cope and protect oneself in future. It places those within the present moment of illness and care with an empathetic and informed mindset, as opposed to one that either more negatively views trauma’s effects or does not see, or address, past or current traumatic reactions at all. This lens fits well with social work’s person-in-environment and strength-based perspectives. In healthcare especially, there is a clear need for social workers and other healthcare professionals to be trauma-informed as it more comprehensively addresses potential barriers to care and thus may help patients and caregivers affected by trauma, through illness experiences and in the past, navigate illness and injury. In this chapter, major frameworks of trauma theory will be explained and applied to social work roles in healthcare settings, utilizing case studies and offering trauma-informed interventions appropriate for both brief bedside and long-term outpatient use.
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DiBiase, J., Nathanson, A. (2023). Trauma-Informed Approaches and Interventions in Serious Illness. In: Hemphill, M., Nathanson, A. (eds) The Practice of Clinical Social Work in Healthcare. Essential Clinical Social Work Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31650-0_13
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