Increasing Therapist Knowledge in Trauma-Informed Care

Abstract

Research surrounding childhood trauma and maltreatment has consistently demonstrated a strong positive correlation between the amount of adverse experiences a child experiences and future physical and mental health consequences, as well as a strong negative correlation between childhood trauma and brain development. Occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech language pathologists work with children that have endured traumatic experiences on a daily basis. As healthcare professionals that work with these children on their development and skill acquisition, it is critical that they understand the negative impacts of childhood trauma and how to implement trauma-informed practices. This program was created with the intention of increasing therapist knowledge and confidence on identifying traumatic experiences and symptoms, the impact on brain development, and how to plan trauma-informed therapy sessions. The content of this training program was created by completing an extensive literature search in order to provide the therapists with evidence-based knowledge and skills. All formal information was provided throughout two in-service presentations. Fourteen therapists were present at both sessions and used a self-reported rating scale to assess their confidence prior to the training and just following. Following the in-service presentations, a 128% increase in confidence was found, with p<.001. Through this training program, the therapists at IU Health Ball Pediatric Rehabilitation gained a basic understanding of the developmental effects of trauma and began to incorporate trauma-informed practices. The results of this study suggest that by providing therapists with two in-service presentations solely dedicated to the effects of childhood trauma and its role in childhood development, their confidence in working with children that have experienced trauma statistically significantly increases.