Putting Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) into Practice Within a Drug Court: A Service Model

When implementing a new practice, application is key. Trauma-informed care is no different. It requires step-by-step measures to apply the pillars of care and recognize how our reactions and actions will impact the participants we work with in the treatment courts. For many of our participants, the idea of having any type of constructive relationships in their lives has been a foreign concept. Their traumatic experiences have enduring, negative effects on everything that surrounds them. Coupled with the vulnerabilities that are exposed in a treatment court setting, it is crucial that principles of what builds therapeutic relationships be addressed. Trauma-informed care can help mitigate the negative effects participants have been subjected to, creating more favorable outcomes in the end. Despite the amount of information on trauma-informed care, there has been no particular structure on the best implementation procedures to consider. Yet trauma-informed care principles have been incorporated into multiple settings and among various populations, lending the assumption that these principles can positively impact those served in specialty courts.