An inter-professional (Nursing/Occupational therapy) trauma informed care program for underrepresented communities: Creation, design, and outcomes

Title : An inter-professional (Nursing/Occupational therapy) trauma informed care program for underrepresented communities: Creation, design, and outcomes

Abstract:

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an organizational change process that health care providers, programs, and organizations adopt to (1) screen for trauma exposure and symptoms; (2) use evidence-based and culturally appropriate assessments and treatment that avoid re-traumatization; (3) provide educational resources on trauma; (4) increase protective factors for people impacted by trauma; (5) address generational impacts of trauma; (6) prioritize continuity of care across providers; and (7) provide secondary trauma interventions (Petrenchik & Weiss, 2015). This poster describes the creation, design, and outcomes of a new inter-professional trauma informed care NIH funded program for underrepresented clients. The purpose of this program was to expand inter-professional training opportunities in behavioral health and other practice settings. The focus was on developing competencies in trauma informed team-based care and understanding the impact of psychosocial trauma on mental health and health care. Participants included families, patients, staff members, agencies, and grant recipients (nursing and occupational therapy interns). Settings included 46 clinical sites and classrooms. These health care agencies were evaluated with a needs assessment to determine the level of trauma informed care that currently existed within their programs. Based on the results of the needs assessment and best-practice literature, trauma informed care treatment and psychoeducational groups were designed and implemented based on the Model of Attachment, SelfRegulation, and Competency (Fehrenbach et al, 2022). Outcome measures and effectiveness data were collected before and after intern training, clinical treatment, conference presentations, and staff inservices. Data were analyzed using within subjects measures (t-tests), frequencies, and thematic analysis and will be presented. Participants will be able to reflect on how to incorporate trauma informed care principles into their practice.

Biography:

Dr. Pat Precin is currently an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Columbia University and a licensed psychoanalyst with a private practice in New York City. She is the principal investigator on an NIH inter-professional grant with the head of Columbia University’s Psychiatric Doctoral Nursing Program. She supervises a doctoral nursing T-group experience at Columbia and has worked in behavioral health for over 35 years as a clinician, director, managing director, executive director, academician, researcher, and supervisor. She has hundreds of publications and conference presentations, and multiple awards. She has two doctorates, one in psychology and the other in Psychoanalysis.