05/11/2025
A trauma-informed care occupational therapist is a practitioner who operates within a framework that realizes the widespread impact of trauma, recognizes its signs and symptoms in clients, and integrates this knowledge into their practice to actively avoid re-traumatization. They shift the focus from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" and "What's strong with you?", aiming to support healing and recovery through meaningful daily activities (occupations).
Key Principles in Occupational Therapy Practice
Trauma-informed occupational therapy is guided by six key principles:
Safety: Prioritizing the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of clients and staff. OTs create a predictable environment, clearly explain procedures, and ask permission before physical contact or initiating activities.
Trustworthiness and Transparency: Building and maintaining trust by being transparent about policies, procedures, and expectations, and by being consistent in interactions.
Peer Support: Valuing the use of peer support and shared experiences to foster a sense of belonging and mutual self-help.
Collaboration and Mutuality: Partnering with clients and leveling power imbalances in the therapeutic relationship. The OT works with the client to set goals and make decisions, rather than for them.
Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: Validating client's feelings and concerns and providing them with a strong voice and choice in their care plan. This helps restore a sense of control that trauma often takes away.
Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues: Recognizing and addressing cultural, historical, and gender-based biases and stereotypes. OTs incorporate policies and practices that are responsive to diverse client needs and backgrounds.
Role of a Trauma-Informed Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists are uniquely positioned to support trauma survivors because their focus is on a person's ability to participate in meaningful life activities (occupations), which can be severely impacted by trauma.
Their role includes:
Assessing Impact: Evaluating how trauma has affected a client's occupational performance, including their ability to manage self-care, sleep, work, social interactions, and leisure activities.
Fostering Self-Regulation: Using techniques like sensory integration strategies (e.g., rhythmic activities, yoga, deep breathing) to help clients regulate their nervous systems and manage stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation.
Building Resilience and Coping Skills: Helping clients develop adaptive coping strategies, self-awareness of triggers, and problem-solving skills to overcome adversity.
Enhancing Functional Cognition: Addressing trauma's impact on cognitive functions (thinking, decision-making) by teaching strategies to improve focus and daily decision-making for better life management.
Creating Supportive Environments: Collaborating with clients, families, and organizations to modify physical and social environments (e.g., home, school, workplace) to feel safe and supportive for recovery.
Promoting Occupational Engagement: Identifying and facilitating engagement in purposeful and meaningful activities to foster a sense of autonomy, self-worth, and social connection.
In essence, a trauma-informed occupational therapist helps clients process and integrate their trauma history so they can re-engage in daily life and live a full, meaningful life.
