Take this at your own pace.
Use the timeframe described on this page and choose the answer that feels closest. You can stop whenever you want.
Your answers are ready to reflect on.
This is a record of what you selected, not a score or clinical interpretation.
You selected an answer other than “Never” for thoughts of death or self-harm. Please tell someone you trust and contact a verified crisis service now. If you may act soon, call local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department. Find crisis support.
If any answer involves immediate danger, abuse, or an inability to stay safe, use urgent local support now.
Notice trauma responses without forcing the story.
Trauma responses can involve unwanted memories, avoidance, changes in mood or beliefs, and a nervous system that stays watchful. This check-in does not ask you to recount event details and should not be used to force disclosure.
How the past can interrupt the present
The prompts are an observation aid. They cannot establish a diagnosis, severity category, cause, or treatment recommendation.
Read trauma-informed care to identify the safety, choice, consent, pacing, and transparency you can ask of a provider.
| Area | What to notice | Useful detail to record |
|---|---|---|
| Intrusion | Unwanted memories, dreams, sensations, or feeling as if it is happening now | Frequency, triggers, and time needed to reorient |
| Avoidance | Efforts to avoid reminders, thoughts, feelings, or places | What life areas have become smaller |
| Mood and connection | Numbness, blame, detachment, or loss of interest | Changes in trust, identity, and closeness |
| Arousal | Startle, watchfulness, anger, sleep, or concentration | What helps the body recognize present safety |
Start with present-day safety and control
The same answer can mean different things depending on timing, health, safety, environment, and what is typical for you.
The first-therapy-session guide can help you prepare without requiring a detailed trauma disclosure.
- Are you currently safe from the person, place, or situation involved?
- Which reminders are predictable, and which feel unexpected?
- What helps you orient to the present without becoming more overwhelmed?
Set the pace before discussing details
A clinician or support person can respond more clearly when you bring specific examples instead of trying to summarize your entire life.
Current danger, abuse, severe disorientation, or inability to stay safe calls for urgent local support before further self-reflection.
- How should a provider handle pacing, consent, and pauses?
- Which symptoms disrupt life most right now?
- What would make a care setting feel safer or more controllable?
Prepare a consent-and-support note
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When trauma symptoms need specialist care
Trauma-focused care should be paced, collaborative, and attentive to safety. Seek urgent help when you cannot remain safe, are currently being harmed, or feel unable to care for basic needs.
If there is immediate danger, abuse, severe physical symptoms, or an inability to stay safe, use urgent local help now rather than waiting to complete this page.
Sources and scope
This educational material uses the institutional overviews below as starting points. Those sources do not validate this original check-in, and the check-in does not reproduce or score a clinical instrument.