3.5 Hours / 3.5 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Trauma-informed Ethical Decision-Making: Employing the 10 Principles of Trauma-Informed Ethical Practice is presented by Cortny Stark, Ph.D., and Kylie Rogalla, Ph.D.

The proposed trauma-informed ethical decision-making model provides helping professionals with a two-part framework for addressing ethical dilemmas with client survivors of trauma. The 10 Principles of Trauma-informed Practice (authors, 2021) and decision-making framework enable the clinician to utilize their knowledge of individuals’ responses to trauma to inform how they interpret and understand the client’s behavior, thought process, and emotional experience. This understanding informs every step of the ethical decision-making process. 

The principles outlined below build upon the SAMHSA (2014) three E’s, four R’s, and eight key principles of trauma-informed care. Key concepts, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and their long-term impact (Anda, 2007; Edwards et al., 2015; Felitti et al., 1998; Felitti, 2009; Wade et al., 2016) further inform the principles of trauma-informed ethical practice. 

The 10 Principles of Trauma-informed Practice (authors, 2021) include:

1. Attachment and Developmental Considerations

2. Physiological and Neurobiological Changes

3. Intergenerational and Historical Trauma

4. Minority Stress

5. Cognitive Schema

6. Self-Concept

7. Protective Factors 

8. Family and Community

9. Clinician Health and Wellbeing

10. Military, Veteran, and Law Enforcement Status and History

This program is intended for intermediate-level professionals. The target audience for this presentation includes helping professionals from all backgrounds, namely social workers, case managers, mental health counselors, addictions counselors, rehabilitation counselors, and psychologists. Counselor educators may also be interested in learning more about this approach and including the model in their ethics and fieldwork courses.

Multiple methods are used to increase attendee engagement, including pinup.com (for sharing brief blurbs about attendees’ personal and professional experiences relevant to the topic) and polls everywhere to assess attendees’ understanding of key concepts and perceptions of the topics discussed. The presentation structure is as follows:

Review key concepts associated with trauma-informed practice and ethical decision-making, briefly explore the impact of trauma on survivors' health and mental health outcomes and physiological and neurological processes, discuss the practical application of the trauma-informed ethical decision-making framework (to include Kitchener and Anderson’s (2011) ethical decision-making model and the 9 Principles of Trauma-informed Ethical Practice), discuss attendee questions. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe behavioral ethics and the role of ethical principles and professional values in ethical decision-making and practice
  • 2 Describe the key components of SAMHSA’s (2014) trauma-informed practice guidelines to one’s own helping context, and during supported case study analysis
  • 3 Describe the ecological view of trauma, and its role in understanding the trauma response
  • 4 Describe foundational knowledge regarding the impact of exposure to trauma on an individual’s neurobiological processes, cognitive processes, emotional regulation, and decision-making
  • 5 Describe the 10 Principles of Trauma-informed Ethical Practice through the application of core concepts and the trauma-informed ethical decision-making framework to the case of “Adam”

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for intermediate-level helping professionals who wish to integrate trauma-informed principles into ethical decision-making when working with clients who have experienced trauma. The content is especially relevant for those in mental health, social services, rehabilitation, education, and related fields. Participants will learn practical strategies to apply trauma-informed ethics in diverse professional settings, enhancing their ability to support clients with complex trauma histories.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for intermediate-level professionals (those with foundational experience in their field, seeking to deepen their trauma-informed and ethical practice)

  • Practice Setting

    • Social workers

    • Case managers

    • Mental health counselors

    • Addiction counselors

    • Rehabilitation counselors

    • Psycghologists

    • Counselor educators (including those teaching ethics and fieldwork courses)

Presented By

Cortny Stark, PhD, Assistant Professor with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS)

Cortny Stark PhD (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) Department of Counseling and Human Services, and Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Fellow. Dr. Stark is the coordinator for the substance use and recovery counseling undergraduate and graduate emphases at UCCS, and the project director for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) substance use disorder practitioner education expansion program. Dr. Stark’s research foci include LGBTQQIA+ issues in counseling, advocacy for transgender and gender-expansive youth, public perception of professional counselors, and the integration of trauma processing models in the treatment of diverse populations. She currently facilitates behavioral health workshops with the Motivational Interviewing Training Center in Albuquerque, NM. Her workshops explore affirming care for transgender and gender-expansive community members, and trauma-informed ethical decision-making. In addition to academic pursuits, Dr. Stark practices as a substance use counselor, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained clinician with the Trauma Treatment Center and Research Facility in Rio Rancho, NM.

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Cortny Stark, PhD

Presented By

Kylie Rogalla, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling & Human Services

"Dr. Kylie Rogalla received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision from the University of Northern Colorado, including two doctoral minors in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership (HESAL) and Applied Statistics and Research Methods (ASRM). Dr. Rogalla earned her Master's degree in Counselor Education (School Counseling) from Winona State University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a minor in Coaching from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Dr. Rogalla’s professional credentials include Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and she is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy trained. Kylie is also securing Board Certified-Telemental Health (BC-TMH) practitioner status through the National Center for Credentialing & Education."

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Kylie Rogalla, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Attachment and Developmental Considerations

  • Physiological and Neurobiological Changes

  • Intergenerational and Historical Trauma

  • Minority Stress

  • Cognitive Schema

  • Self-Concept

  • Family and Community

  • Clinician Health and Wellbeing

  • Military, Veteran, and Law Enforcement Status and History

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.