Mid-America ATTC: Creation of Intensive technical assistance manual for trauma informed care (TIC)

The Mid-America Addiction Technology Transfer Center (a collaboration between Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing and Health Studies) developed an intensive technical assistance manual to be used by Technology Transfer Centers to facilitate trauma informed care (TIC) implementation in substance use and recovery service settings.

The manual will provide guidance for TIC consulting teams on issues such as:

• Evidence for effectiveness of TIC implementation, including improved client experience and employee well-being and retention
• Key considerations for TTCs as they determine capacity and strategies to provide TIC consultation
• Examples of different levels of TA activities to promote implementation
• Core components of trauma-informed care and corresponding consultant and organization activities during each stage of implementation
• Defining and navigating the role of a consultant in organizational change
• Organizational assessment tools, meeting facilitation techniques, and approaches for developing strategies for change with leadership
• Building and supporting organizational capacity to lead, sustain, and evaluate TIC implementation
• Future considerations for TIC implementation may be developed for peer recovery coaches, CLAS standards, child welfare, and other community partners

To pilot the manual’s multi-faceted TIC implementation process, Mid-America conducted site visits to regional provider agencies expressing interest in becoming a TIC environment. Osawatomie State Hospital (OSH) in Kansas was selected as the initial pilot site; OSH leadership signed a memorandum of understanding committing the organization to weekly on-site and virtual engagements with TIC TA specialists. The OSH leadership and the TIC TA specialists will navigate through multiple steps including relationship building and program design, and movement through four stages: trauma aware, trauma sensitive, trauma responsive, and trauma informed.

Movement to a trauma informed culture requires dedication from all levels of staff, from the ground up and top down. With thorough self-evaluation through surveys and group discussions regarding individuals and the provider organization as a whole, the end goal is operating with a Trauma Informed Care lens. Once provider organizations have reached this stage, the aim is that the organization will:

1. Have a mission statement, goals and/or objectives explicitly reference sustaining a Trauma Informed Care culture and environment;
2. Demonstrate a sustainable commitment to trauma-informed values and all employees and volunteers implement trauma-informed practices;
3. Other agencies and community partners turn to organization for expertise and leadership;
4. All staff respond to internal and external changes, barriers, and growth through a Trauma Informed lens.

A secondary goal of the project is to field-test evaluation tools, resources, tips, case studies, and step-by-step guidance for TIC consultant teams. In 2021, Mid-America plans to initiate a virtual TTC TIC Team Learning Collaborative to provide initial guidance in how to use the intensive technical assistance manual and support those regional ATTCs providing TIC consultation.

For more information about Trauma Informed Care, please see the Mid-America ATTC’s website: https://attcnetwork.org/centers/mid-america-attc/implementing-trauma-informed-care-sud-treatment-and-recovery-settings