Trauma-informed
Trauma-informed therapy
Trauma-informed therapy is an approach that puts your safety and your choices first in every session, whichever method your therapist uses.
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Clinically reviewed by Christina Khouie, MA, LMFT, our founder, on September 30, 2026. Enhance is accredited by The Joint Commission and certified by the California Department of Health Care Services.
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An approach to care
What is trauma-informed therapy?
Trauma-informed therapy is an approach to mental health care that recognizes the impact of trauma and puts your safety and choices first.
SAMHSA says trauma-informed services recognize how common trauma is, respond to it with care, and avoid causing more harm.
Within this approach, your therapist can use a specific method, such as CBT, DBT or EMDR.
Trauma-informed care
Your therapist assumes trauma may be part of your story, asks your permission, and lets you skip a topic. You should know what each session is for before it starts.
Trauma-focused treatment
Trauma-focused methods, such as EMDR, work directly on a specific memory. Trauma-informed care describes how the whole program treats you, whether or not you do memory work.
If a session starts to feel like the original harm, tell your therapist and stop the topic. If you are thinking about suicide or are in danger right now, call 988 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Where it is used
Trauma-informed care at each level
Our therapists provide trauma informed therapy at every level of care, both in person and in virtual sessions.
Inpatient
- Where you sleep
- On site, with clinical staff
- How much of your week
- All of it
- Who it suits
- Needs more than a day program
- What usually comes next
- PHP
Partial hospitalization (PHP)
- Where you sleep
- At home
- How much of your week
- Most of each day
- Who it suits
- Can sleep at home safely
- What usually comes next
- IOP
Intensive outpatient (IOP)
- Where you sleep
- At home
- How much of your week
- Part of the week
- Who it suits
- Keeping up work or school
- What usually comes next
- Outpatient
Outpatient
- Where you sleep
- At home
- How much of your week
- Regular sessions
- Who it suits
- Doing well with therapy
- What usually comes next
- Ongoing care
Substance use and trauma often happen together, and treating both is called dual diagnosis treatment. NIDA describes the two as linked, but one does not simply cause the other.
In session
SAMHSA's six principles in a session
SAMHSA lists six principles of trauma-informed care, and each one should shape what happens in your sessions.
- Safety: you know you can pause, change the topic, or end early.
- Trust: your therapist explains what they will do before they do it.
- Peer support: group therapy offers peer support, but it is not required.
- Collaboration: your plan is written with you, not handed to you.
- Choice: you decide which topics are open in each session.
- Culture: your identity and history are part of your care from the start.
A specific method may also help if
- You want to work through one memory, often with EMDR.
- You want skills for intense emotions, often with DBT.
- You need a full treatment plan, not only an approach.
If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
What a session looks like
A trauma-informed session follows your pace, and your therapist checks in with you before any hard topic.
A clear start
Your therapist explains what the session is for and what will happen, so nothing comes as a surprise.
Emotional safety first
Early sessions can focus on sleep, coping skills and emotional safety before anyone asks about your trauma history.
Your choice of topics
You decide what to talk about, and you can decline a question or stop without giving a reason.
Individual and group therapy
Licensed therapists lead individual and group sessions, and group therapy adds peer support from others in the program.
Family involvement
A family member can join family therapy when you want them there, and your therapist talks it through with you first.
Medication management
A licensed psychiatrist prescribes medication when it is part of your plan, and reviews how it is working.
Related pages
Related therapies and conditions
Trauma-informed care works alongside the therapies we use and the conditions we treat, especially for people who have experienced trauma or PTSD.
What happens when you call
See what happens when you call admissions or send us the form.
You call, or send the form
You tell admissions what is happening and whether you think trauma-informed care might fit.
We check your benefits
With your permission, we contact your insurer and find out what your plan covers.
You hear what it means
Admissions explains your deductible, your copay and which level of care your plan supports, in plain terms.
You decide
If you want to go ahead, admissions walks you through what happens next.
Benefits vary from plan to plan, and checking them does not guarantee coverage.
(714) 862-1907Cost and coverage
Does insurance cover trauma-informed therapy?
What you pay depends on your deductible, your copay and the level your insurer approves. Admissions checks your benefits with the insurer and tells you the figures before you decide anything.
We're in network with most insurance plans. If your plan isn't listed, call us and we'll check it for you.
Some plans we accept
- Ambetter
- MHN
- CalPERS
- Covered California
Common questions about trauma-informed therapy
If your question is not answered here, call admissions at (714) 862-1907.
Is trauma-informed therapy a technique?
No. It's an approach to how care is delivered. Within it, your therapist might use CBT, DBT, EMDR, or talk therapy, depending on what you need.
What is trauma?
SAMHSA describes trauma as an event or set of circumstances a person experiences as harmful or life-threatening, with lasting effects on their well-being.
How is trauma-informed care different from traditional therapy?
Traditional therapy may start with your symptoms, while trauma-informed care also asks how past harm affects you and how to keep sessions safe.
What are the five principles of trauma-informed practice?
Some frameworks use five: safety, trust, choice, collaboration and empowerment. SAMHSA's six also include peer support and attention to culture, history and gender.
Do I have to talk about the trauma to start?
No. A trauma-informed first session can focus on safety, sleep and what you want from treatment. Memory work waits until you agree to it.
What happens during a trauma-informed therapy session?
Your therapist explains the plan, checks how you are doing, and follows your pace. You decide which topics are open that day.
Which evidence-based therapies are used within trauma-informed care?
Our therapists may use CBT, DBT, REBT or EMDR, chosen for what you need, and each one is delivered in a trauma-informed way.
What if a session feels like too much?
Stop the topic and tell your therapist. A session that feels like the original harm is a problem to fix, not something you should push through. If you feel unsafe after you leave, call 988.
How do I know a therapist is trauma-informed?
Ask what they do when you want to stop, and whether you can decline a question. A trauma-informed therapist will give you a specific answer.
Does trauma from childhood matter in adult therapy?
It can. Trauma experienced as children can shape how adults handle stress, and your therapist explores it only when you are ready.
Can this help if I also use substances?
Yes. Trauma, substance use and other mental health conditions are often treated in the same plan, which is called dual diagnosis treatment. If you need detox, this approach does not replace it.
Does insurance cover trauma-informed therapy?
Trauma-informed therapy is usually billed as part of your level of care, so coverage depends on your plan. Admissions checks your benefits first.
Ask how trauma-informed care works at Enhance
You can call without telling your story. Admissions will explain the level of care, and you decide what you are ready to talk about.
Enhance Health Group14742 Newport Ave STE 208, Tustin, CA 92780