Synopsis

Trauma exposure is a universally recognized significant and consequential public health issue, with estimates that two-thirds of the general population have encountered at least one trauma, and that those exposed are disproportionately over-represented among recipients of health and social services.

There is compelling evidence of the negative neurological, biological, psychological and social impacts of trauma exposure, which may be exacerbated or ameliorated , by environmental conditions.

Trauma informed care is advocated as an evidenced-based best practice approach within contemporary health and social services, with evidence supporting the positive impact of such approaches on the service experience, of both recipient and provider, and on treatment outcomes.

While services have understandably embraced trauma informed approaches with many laudable examples of educational, clinical and service initiatives, the degree to which ‘environment’ has been critically appraised an either an enabler of, or impediment to, service experiences that are authentically trauma informed remains uncertain.

This paper will comprise of two components, the first of which will very briefly present an overview of the underpinning principles of trauma informed approaches., and the second being an interactive exploration of application with a purposeful emphasis on the application of principles to practice through readily achievable environmental enhancements.