Trauma-Informed Care: Supporting Marginalized Youth

in Cultural Stressors / Mental Health / Stress  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Elvie Tomacder, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program

MOST YOUNG PEOPLEwill experience a stressful or difficult event in their lifetime. Nearly 90% of U.S. adults report at least one traumatic event (Center for Health Care Strategies, 2024). For some, these experiences rise to the level of trauma – events that overwhelm their ability to cope and affect their sense of safety and trust. Trauma can result from abuse, neglect, loss, disaster, war and other emotionally harmful experiences, but for many marginalized youth it is also tied to systemic issues such as racism, poverty, discrimination, or immigration challenges.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach that helps us better understand and respond to these experiences. Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?”, TIC asks “What happened to you?” This small but powerful shift changes the way adults – whether parents, teachers, or community members – support young people.

What Is Trauma-Informed Care?

Trauma-informed care is a mindset and set of practices designed to:

  • Create physical and emotional safety
  • Build trust through transparency and consistency
  • Empower youth by giving them voice and choice
  • Collaborate rather than impose solutions
  • Honor culture, history, and identity as part of healing

This approach is not limited to counseling. It can be applied in homes, classrooms, after-school programs, and community spaces. Trauma is widespread, with 62% of Californians reporting at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), and 16% reporting four or more (Center for Health Care Strategies, 2024). These experiences are linked to lifelong health and mental health challenges (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019).

Why Marginalized Youth Are More Affected

While trauma can affect anyone, marginalized youth often face higher risks:

  • Youth of color are more likely to experience systemic racism, under-resourced schools, and community violence.
  • LGBTQ+ youth face bullying, family rejection, and stigma tied to their identities.
  • Immigrant and refugee youth often cope with displacement, language barriers, and uncertainty around immigration status.

These challenges can compound over time, influencing school performance, relationships, and self-esteem (SAMHSA, 2014).

Disparities in Trauma Exposure and Systemic Barriers

It’s important to remember that trauma isn’t only about past events – it can also be ongoing. Marginalized youth face higher ACE scores due to systemic and environmental risk factors. Research shows that Black and Latinx children are significantly more likely to experience four or more ACEs compared to their white peers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019).

Populations with elevated risk include:

  • BIPOC youth, who often live in under-resourced neighborhoods and face systemic racism.
  • LGBTQ+ youth, who encounter identity-based trauma, bullying, and rejection.
  • Immigrant and refugee families, who may struggle with displacement, acculturative stress, and legal uncertainty.

These challenges reflect systemic and structural trauma – including racism, poverty, anti-immigrant sentiment, heteronormativity, and over-policing of BIPOC youth in schools. Families may also carry intergenerational trauma from slavery, colonization, or forced displacement, while cultural stigma around mental health can discourage youth from seeking help (SAMHSA, 2014).

As Dr. Shawn Ginwright, whose work centers on healing in African American youth, explains: “It’s not just what happened to them – it’s what’s still happening around them.” Recognizing these factors helps communities respond with compassion instead of judgment.

Building on Strengths

Even with these challenges, many protective factors foster resilience:

  • Family and cultural values that emphasize loyalty, spirituality, and storytelling traditions
  • Supportive adults such as parents, mentors, or teachers who provide stability
  • Safe spaces – like schools or youth programs – that affirm identity and belonging

Helping youth name their experiences can also support healing. When a child can say, “This is something I went through, not who I am,” they begin to reclaim their sense of self.

How Adults Can Apply Trauma-Informed Practices

Parents, educators, and community members can integrate trauma-informed principles in simple ways:

  • Create predictable routines to build safety
  • Listen with empathy and without judgment
  • Respect and affirm identity – through language, traditions, or pronouns
  • Offer choices so youth feel empowered
  • Advocate for trauma-informed training in schools and broader access to ACEs screening

Even small actions – like validating a child’s feelings or showing consistent support – can make a lasting difference.

Healing Together

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in relationships – with families, schools, and communities that provide safety, understanding, and connection. For marginalized youth, trauma-informed care offers a way to counter systemic barriers while building on cultural and community strengths.

By shifting how we see and respond to youth struggles, we can create environments that reduce harm and nurture resilience, belonging, and hope.

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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, November 8). Vital signs: Estimated proportion of adult health problems attributable to adverse childhood experiences and implications for prevention—25 states, 2015–2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(44), 999–1005. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6844e1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, November 5). Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to improve U.S. Health. CDC Archive. https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/media/releases/2019/p1105-prevent-aces.html

Center for Health Care Strategies. (2024). What is trauma-informed care? Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center. https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs.org

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach (HHS Publication No. SMA 14-4884). Rockville, MD: SAMHSA. Available at: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/samhsas-concept-of-trauma-and-guidance-for-a-trauma-informed-approach