To help expand the use of trauma-informed care, the New York State Office of Mental Health, together with Coordinated Care Services, Inc., provides funding for the NYS Trauma Informed Network, a collaboration of individuals, caregivers, professionals, and organizations dedicated to enhancing trauma-responsive practice change throughout the state.

This article focuses on the use of trauma-informed care in treating children with serious mental health challenges who have lived through difficult social and emotional episodes throughout much of their lives. The combination of these factors impacts a child for the rest of their lives. 

For decades, systemic racism has disproportionately routed Black and Brown children who have unmet behavioral health needs to congregate care and residential programs, and adults with these needs, to jails and prisons. Addressing trauma and racial disparities at the community level provides the opportunity to advance healing for individuals while also building the community infrastructure needed to support resilience and change the trajectory of social relationships and connections.

Individuals who have experienced intense or frequent adverse childhood experiences exhibit more health and behavioral difficulties throughout their lives. Integrating trauma-informed care presents an opportunity for intervention to be even more specifically individualized and tailored to the unique needs, history, and strengths of each and every individual.

In our current sociocultural climate, we have been hearing the term "trauma" discussed more frequently, not only in healthcare, but in a variety of environments and social circles. This shift signifies a changing of the guard, as there is now a social and professional movement toward recognizing the many forms of trauma and its multi-systemic impacts.