Included in this section are tools for the reader to refresh and retain the knowledge. A Key Takeaway serves one of three purposes:

• highlighting an especially complex aspect of the chapter;
• summarizing an overarching idea; or
• emphasizing an idea that invites the reader to think about it more deeply, to connect to life experiences, and/or additional learnings.

Discussion Questions are recommended for individual reflection or class discussion.

9.7.1 Key Takeaways

• Traumatic experiences are incredibly common. These include child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and household instability (i.e. household member with a mental health issue or substance use disorder).
• Traumatic experiences are especially impactful during childhood because of the adverse effects they can have on cognitive and emotional development. In the long term, these can lead to worse physical and mental health outcomes.
• Experiencing trauma is directly associated with being marginalized more broadly
• Human service providers work directly with individuals who, often, have experienced a significant amount of trauma.
• Trauma-informed care is a set of principles that create safe and inclusive environments that meet the needs of trauma survivors while avoiding retraumatization. These practices can be put into place in a wide range of different contexts.
• Trauma-specific practices aim to directly address and re-conceptualize trauma. These practices are more specialized and require additional training. This means that not every human service professional is qualified to administer these treatments. Organizations and agencies that provide trauma-specific practices should still take a trauma-informed approach to their work.
• Because of the large amount of secondary trauma that human service professionals encounter in their work, it is important to take preventative steps to avoid negative impacts of this form of trauma. These steps can include ensuring your organization is trauma-informed for its staff, engaging in self-care practices, and seeking treatment if symptoms arise.