HS 158 - Trauma Informed Theory and Practice

Admission to a Human Services program. 

Recommended Prerequisite(s):  

PSY 202Z  

Course Description: Introduces students to the phenomenon of psychological trauma as well as the impact of physical trauma on the psychological functioning of individuals, couples and families. The course will include the history and current theories in the field, the nature of trauma, and its impact on the developing individual across various domains of functioning. Also included in this class is a survey of emerging promising practices in the healthcare field, including an exploration of the effects of working with trauma survivors on service providers and the unintended re-traumatization of survivors by social service systems. Students will explore the concept of trauma-informed care and be introduced to examples of trauma-informed systems.

Course Learning Outcomes:

• CLO#1: Discuss the prevalence and types of trauma that impact individuals at various stages of development.
• CLO#2: Describe the consequences of trauma for the individual and society, from a cognitive, neurobiological/physiological, and systems perspective including signs and symptoms indicative of a trauma history.  (ILO: Critical Thinking)
• CLO#3: Articulate the distinction between trauma-informed care and trauma specific services, including definitions and diagnostic criteria for PTSD and complex trauma.
• CLO#4: Define the important elements of trauma-informed services and organizational systems, including characteristics and practices within organizations that are re-traumatizing.
• CLO#5: Recognize an array of effective screening and assessment tools for identifying trauma history, as well as interventions designed to treat current traumatic symptoms and mediate the influence of previous trauma history on current services.
• CLO#6: Identify vicarious trauma and ways to minimize and manage the impact of working with trauma survivors on service providers.