Abstract
Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is an approach that acknowledges and describes the traumatic experiences of human services clients. The majority of individuals who subsequently receive care in social work institutions have experienced traumatic events during their childhood or adulthood. In order to address these long-term consequences and to prevent misdiagnosis or retraumatisation, the concept of Trauma-Informed Care was developed in the USA. The approach is relatively new in Austria. It is therefore pertinent to enquire the extent to which TIC can support social workers in Austria in their work with people.
This paper begins by defining trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, elucidating their etiology and the effects they have on individuals. The findings of a survey conducted with experts from the USA and Austria on TIC and working with traumatised people are then presented. The research shows that trauma knowledge is of the utmost importance for working with people. Furthermore, it highlights a deficit in the training of social workers and social pedagogues, and ultimately concludes that the implementation of TIC in Austria would result in significant benefits to the health system.