Trauma-informed training and education for professionals in Australia: a scoping review

Kimie Maree McNaughton, Sophie Isobel, Liam Phelan, Emma Quilty

Research output: Contribution to journalReview ArticleResearchpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: Trauma-informed care and practice (TICP) has gained international attention since the mid-1990s, but its recent adoption in Australia has been met with various barriers, including a lack of training and education opportunities to enhance professional knowledge and practice. This paper aims to identify and further understand what is occurring in TICP training and education for health and human service professionals in Australia; specifically, what is known about TICP content and training strategies being used. Design/methodology/approach: A scoping methodology was used to undertake a systematic search of the literature to identify and map the scope and nature of research activity on TICP training and education for professionals in Australia. Based on the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, removal of duplications, abstract review and full-text screening, six studies met the inclusion criteria for content analysis in this review. Findings: The studies showed that TICP training and education was occurring predominantly in the Australian health sector for nursing professionals and improved knowledge, confidence to respond to disclosures of trauma and approaches to care. Training was commonly delivered through one-day workshops and brief Web-based approaches. The findings suggested that there is a need for consensus on TICP content to ensure that fidelity to the principles of TICP is promoted in unique workplace settings and for ongoing commitment by relevant stakeholders and funding bodies. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review exploring what is happening across disciplines and sectors for trauma-informed education. The findings have implications for clinicians, professionals, educators and researchers.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice
Volume17
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Sept 2022

Keywords

  • Australian studies
  • Education programmes
  • Health services
  • Human services
  • Training for professionals
  • Trauma-informed care and practice

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