Use Of Trauma-Informed Care Training in the University Mental Health Setting

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to conduct a quality improvement study on the use of trauma-informed care practices for university mental health providers. Background: Trauma is prevalent among college and university students in the United States. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are a primary potential cause of life-long trauma and can include early experiences such as physical and emotional abuse as well as neglect and family dysfunction. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a framework that recognizes the impact of trauma on individuals and includes core principles of safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and humility. Methods: This project utilized a PowerPoint educational intervention for providers at a large university mental health clinic. A pre-assessment of provider’s baseline knowledge was conducted as well as a post-assessment to determine change in understanding and intention to implement the changes. This project followed a descriptive and quantitative method to determine the impact of TIC training based on self-reported responses to the survey questions. Results: Recruitment resulted in 37 participants who completed the pretest, with 27 completing the posttest. The results showed that participant understanding of ACEs and TIC improved from the presentation, thereby increasing the likelihood of using this information in practice. Conclusions: The educational intervention provided an overview of this topic and its applicability to the university mental health setting and found that, despite having received previous trainings on this topic, providers are interested in continuing to learn about. This project was successful in imparting the intended information in a meaningful and clear way, and identified opportunities for further exploration of this topic with clinicians.