Source record
SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration · 2014-07
Research / practice reference · Government conceptual and implementation guidance; not an efficacy trial
Population: Organizations serving children, adults, families, and communities.
Research reviewed: 2026-10-06
Material available: Curated summary only. Reviewed indexed PDF excerpts plus official SAMHSA summaries: Indexed cover/publication date; Indexed principles excerpts: safety, transparency, peer support; Official summaries of the six principles. Direct PDF retrieval failed. The 2024 SAMHSA grant excerpt reproduces all six principles and cites the 2014 framework; the full 2014 implementation guidance was not read.
Six principles and organizational response to trauma.
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Consider physical and emotional safety as people experience them.
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Explain decisions and limits to support trust.
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Include meaningful human peer support.
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Share influence through collaboration and mutuality.
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Protect voice, choice, and opportunities for control.
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Attend to cultural, historical, and gender context.
A practice framework, not proof that particular wording treats trauma. Trauma-informed support does not authorize trauma processing, diagnostic inference, or eliciting trauma details.