Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Trauma-Informed Care and Recovery Resources for Survivors

By:  Sarah Smith-Trawick, LCSW-C

EMDRIA Approved Consultant 

Domestic abuse leaves far more than physical scars. Survivors often carry invisible wounds - deep emotional, psychological, and relational impacts that can last long after the abuse has stopped. Healing from this kind of trauma requires more than just safety from harm; it calls for care that recognizes the complex effects of trauma and actively works to avoid re-traumatization. This is where trauma-informed care comes in.

What Is Trauma-Informed Care?

Trauma-informed care is not a specific therapy technique. It’s an overarching approach to providing support that prioritizes understanding, compassion, and safety for people who have experienced trauma. It’s guided by five core principles:

1. Safety: Creating environments—physical, emotional, and psychological—where survivors feel secure and respected.
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency: Communicating openly and consistently to build trust and reduce fear.
3. Peer Support: Encouraging connection with others who have lived experience to reduce isolation.
4. Collaboration and Mutuality: Valuing survivors as active partners in their own care, not passive recipients.
5. Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: Focusing on survivors’ strengths and giving them control over their own healing process.

By integrating these principles, professionals and community members can help survivors feel understood and supported, not judged or dismissed.

Why It Matters for Survivors of Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse often involves long-term patterns of control, manipulation, and fear. Survivors may experience:

• Complex PTSD, depression, or anxiety
• Difficulty trusting others
• Shame or self-blame
• Dissociation or emotional numbness
• Triggers from everyday situations that recall the trauma

Trauma-informed care acknowledges these responses as normal adaptations to abnormal situations. Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?” it asks, “What happened to you?” - a powerful shift that validates survivors’ experiences and reduces stigma.

Practical Trauma-Informed Support Strategies

If you’re supporting someone who has experienced domestic abuse - as a friend, family member, advocate, or professional - here are a few trauma-informed approaches to keep in mind:

• Listen without judgment. Survivors may fear being blamed or disbelieved. Offer empathy, not interrogation.
• Respect boundaries. Allow survivors to share only what they’re ready to, at their own pace.
• Offer choices. Giving options helps restore a sense of control that abuse often takes away.
• Be patient. Healing from trauma is rarely linear. Celebrate small steps forward.
• Seek training. If you work in health care, social services, or education, consider trauma-informed care training to better support survivors.

Tips for Survivors Accessing Resource Support Safely

• Confidentiality: Ask about confidentiality policies before sharing personal info. Many hotlines and shelters provide anonymous or confidential support.
• Safety planning: Even when away from the immediate threat, plan steps for emotional, physical, financial safety (e.g., where to go in an emergency, safe places, support persons).
• Documenting abuse: If safe to do so, keep any evidence (messages, photos, medical records), which may be helpful for legal protection.
• Cultural/language needs: If English isn’t a first language, look for services that offer help in your language. Also, check whether services are inclusive (for LGBTQ, immigrants, etc.)
• Self-care & peer support: Healing from trauma takes support - both professional (therapy, counseling) and social (trusted friends, support groups). Many non-profits offer support groups to reduce the sense of isolation that can come from experiencing abuse.

Resources for Survivors

Finding the right support can make all the difference. The following resources can help survivors of domestic abuse begin their healing journey:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.): 800-799-7233 or thehotline.org
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): 800-656-4673 or rainn.org
• Love Is Respect (for teens and young adults): 866-331-9474 or loveisrespect.org
• Local domestic violence shelters and advocacy centers: Many offer counseling, legal help, and support groups.

Survivors are the experts on their own lives. Trauma-informed care trusts their inner wisdom, honors their resilience, and creates space for healing to unfold safely and on their own terms.