PI: Dhiraj Aggarwal

Study contact: [email protected]

Study contact full name: Yehudis Stokes

Research Area: Mental Health

Who to contact regarding participating: [email protected]

Lay Summary: “Trauma-informed care” (TIC) is an emerging concept that involves addressing the needs of individuals with histories of trauma, whether they are the ones seeking care, or providing care. Generally agreed principles of TIC include the 4 “R”s of a) Realizing the prevalence of trauma, b) Recognizing manifestations of trauma, c) Responding appropriately to trauma, and d) Resisting Re-traumatization, as well as the principles of a) Safety (physical and psychological), b) Trustworthiness and Transparency, c) Support d) Collaboration e) Empowerment, and f) Cultural, Historical and Gender considerations. Interest in TIC has grown, with attempts to integrate TIC into healthcare environments, yet it remains a developing field. CHEO is currently looking to identify and implement a trauma-informed model of care for their inpatient mental health units. My (YS) doctoral research is a collaborative project with the Mental Health TIC Advisory Committee at CHEO to support the selection of a TIC model of care, and to plan the implementation and evaluation of that TIC model. The CHEO Mental Health TIC Advisory Committee wants to collect feedback from patients, caregivers, and staff to inform the selection and implementation of the TIC model. I (YS) will support the facilitation of these focus-group style consultations and I will additionally collect data on participants’ perspectives and feedback related to their involvement in this project.