Trauma-Informed Care

Name: Trauma-Informed Care
Rating: 4.7 (1961 reviews)

Recognize trauma responses, prevent retraumatization, communicate safely, and provide compassionate, informed support

Created byDonn Kropp

Last updated 5/2025

English

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What you'll learn

Define trauma
Recognize various types of trauma
Understand trauma’s impact on mental and physical health
Understand the Adverse Child Experiences (ACE) Study
Describe and understand principles & tenets of Trauma-Informed Care
Recognize the importance of responding to trauma disclosures appropriately
Understand the importance of managing vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue

Course content

6 sections • 14 lectures • 2h 3m total length

Introduction8:41
Trauma is difficult to understand. It can’t be viewed narrowly but must be understood broadly and take into account biological, psychological, interpersonal, community, and societal factors. In this lecture, we’ll explore several definitions and key concepts of trauma.
Objectives1:30
Emotional and psychological trauma isn’t as cut and dry as we once thought. In this lecture, we will highlight the objectives for this course.

What is Trauma20:46
Several definitions of trauma exist. Trauma can be described as any event that overwhelms a person’s capacity to cope and has long-lasting impact. In this lecture, you will learn about the many types of situations and events that are traumatic.
Test Your Knowledge I
The Biology of Trauma17:08
Trauma affects our bodies and physiology in a number of ways. In this lecture, we will explore several systems of the body and uncover the effects of trauma.
Experiences and Responses to Trauma8:35
One of the most important and significant ways to be Trauma-informed is to have an understanding of the signs and symptoms of trauma. In this lesson, we’ll explore the signs and symptoms of trauma as well as an understanding of the reactions and responses to trauma by a victim.

Understanding Trauma-Informed Care10:17
In this lecture we’ll introduce you to the concept of Trauma-Informed Care. In healthcare and human services settings, emotional and psychological trauma often goes unnoticed, ignored, or unaddressed. Providing trauma-informed care is powerful and can set an individual on a path toward healing from past traumatic experiences.
Principles of Trauma-Informed Care6:26
In this lecture, we’ll explore the 6 fundamental principles of Trauma-Informed Care.
Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Domains9:56
In this lecture, we’ll explore the 10 implementation domains of Trauma-Informed Care.

Responding to Trauma Disclosures2:43
Caring, appropriate, and empathic responses to those who share their past traumatic experiences can be beneficial and healing to the victim. In this lecture, we’ll help you be supportive, encouraging, and compassionate during trauma disclosures.
Trauma-Informed Care Quick Tips4:30
In this lecture, we’ll condense and highlight the important points so that you can effectively implement Trauma-Informed Care in your practice.

Helping Ourselves to Help Others3:31
One of the most important tasks you have to accomplish in helping a trauma victim is to manage your own trauma and stress. In this lecture, we’ll explore vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue.
What Does It All Mean5:16
In this lecture we’ll review the concepts learned. Understanding trauma and its impact on lives and society as a whole is perhaps our generation’s new germ theory. It is up to us to share the information about this public health concern of trauma.
Final Quiz

Requirements

No prior experience or formal training is required. This course is designed for healthcare professionals, social workers, counselors, educators, caregivers, first responders, service-industry professionals, and members of the general public who want to better understand trauma and respond to others with greater compassion and awareness. Learners only need an interest in the topic and a willingness to reflect on how trauma can affect behavior, health, communication, relationships, and everyday interactions.

Description

Trauma can affect how people think, communicate, respond to stress, form relationships, and interact with healthcare providers, educators, employers, service professionals, and others in their daily lives.

A person’s behavior may be influenced by traumatic experiences that are not immediately visible. Understanding this can help us move away from asking, “What is wrong with this person?” and toward a more compassionate question: “What might have happened to this person?”

This introductory Trauma-Informed Care course provides a practical foundation for recognizing the effects of emotional and psychological trauma and responding to others with greater awareness, safety, empathy, and respect.

Throughout the course, you will explore different types of trauma, the potential effects of trauma on physical and mental health, and the findings of the Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, Study. You will also examine the major principles of trauma-informed care and learn how everyday interactions, policies, environments, and communication practices can either support a person’s sense of safety or unintentionally contribute to retraumatization.

You will learn why trauma disclosures must be handled carefully and how listening without judgment, respecting personal boundaries, offering appropriate choices, and avoiding assumptions can help create safer and more supportive interactions.

The course also addresses vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue, which can affect professionals, caregivers, family members, and others who regularly support people experiencing distress.

This course is taught by Donn Kropp, an experienced registered nurse and healthcare educator with more than 20 years of emergency and trauma-care experience.

Whether you work in healthcare, social services, education, customer service, hospitality, public safety, management, caregiving, or another people-centered field, this course will help you approach others with greater understanding and compassion.

No clinical or professional background is required. This course is educational and does not qualify participants to diagnose or treat trauma-related conditions.

Enroll today and begin developing a more compassionate, respectful, and trauma-informed approach to supporting the people around you.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Define psychological and emotional trauma
Identify different types and potential sources of trauma
Recognize how trauma can affect behavior, communication, relationships, and physical and mental health
Explain the significance of the Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, Study
Describe the primary principles of trauma-informed care
Recognize situations that may contribute to retraumatization
Apply trauma-informed communication principles during everyday interactions
Respond to trauma disclosures with greater sensitivity, safety, and compassion
Recognize signs of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
Identify strategies that support personal wellness and healthy professional boundaries
Apply trauma-informed principles in healthcare, education, service-industry, workplace, family, and community settings

Who this course is for:

This course is for: Healthcare professionals, including nurses, physicians, therapists, and support staff Social workers, counselors, case managers, and mental health professionals Educators, coaches, caregivers, and first responders Service-industry professionals who regularly interact with the public Managers, supervisors, and organizational leaders who want to create safer, more supportive environments Family members, friends, and community members who want to better understand and support people affected by trauma Anyone interested in learning how trauma can influence behavior, health, communication, and relationships No professional background is required. The course is suitable for both professionals and members of the general public.

Trauma-Informed Care

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Course content

Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care2 lectures • 10min

Understanding Trauma and Its Effects3 lectures • 46min

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study2 lectures • 24min