The two phrases sound alike and turn up on therapist profiles, sometimes as if they meant the same thing. They do not. One describes a way of working with people. The other names a kind of treatment.
This page gives the official definitions, explains what each label can and cannot tell you, and lists questions that get past the wording. It applies to any therapist you are considering, including Dr. Rabin. If you are in crisis while you are deciding, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
What does "trauma-informed" mean?
The standard U.S. definition comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): "A program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, while seeking to actively resist retraumatization."
Notice the subject of that sentence. It is a program, organization or system, not a therapy. SAMHSA's 2014 paper on the idea calls the four parts of that sentence (realizes, recognizes, responds, resists re-traumatization) the four "R's," and lists six key principles:
- Safety
- Trustworthiness and Transparency
- Peer Support
- Collaboration and Mutuality
- Empowerment, Voice and Choice
- Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues
SAMHSA's current page spells some of these out. On safety, for example: "participants and staff feel physically and psychologically safe."
What does "trauma-focused" mean?
It names a kind of psychotherapy. The VA's National Center for PTSD puts it this way for the public: ""Trauma-focused" means that the treatment centers on the memory of the trauma or its meaning."
The fuller definition comes from the guideline of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense (VA/DoD). Its 2023 edition describes trauma-focused therapies as ones that use "cognitive, emotional, or behavioral techniques to facilitate processing a traumatic experience and in which the trauma focus is a central component of the therapeutic process." That wording describes the recommendation in the guideline's 2017 edition. The 2023 edition rates named therapies one by one.
Cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure and EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) are the three it recommends by name. The therapies differ in how much they ask you to say about what happened. Do you have to talk about what happened in trauma therapy? covers that.
Is trauma-informed care a treatment for PTSD?
Not on its own terms. SAMHSA's 2014 paper draws the line itself: "A trauma informed approach is distinct from trauma-specific services or trauma systems. A trauma informed approach is inclusive of trauma-specific interventions, whether assessment, treatment or recovery supports, yet it also incorporates key trauma principles into the organizational culture."
So a trauma-informed service can include treatment for trauma, but the phrase does not name one. None of the four PTSD guidelines reviewed for this guide lists "trauma-informed care" as a treatment. Those are the VA/DoD guideline, the American Psychological Association's 2025 guideline, NICE guidance from the United Kingdom, and the guidelines of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).
No official page reviewed for this guide says that in a single sentence. It is this guide's reading of the SAMHSA distinction and of what the guidelines list.
Which treatments do guidelines recommend most strongly for PTSD?
Trauma-focused ones. The VA/DoD guideline gives its strong recommendation to three: "We recommend the individual, manualized trauma-focused psychotherapies for the treatment of PTSD: Cognitive Processing Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or Prolonged Exposure." The American Psychological Association's 2025 guideline gives its strong recommendation to cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. It rates EMDR one step lower, as a conditional recommendation. NICE (UK guidance) says to offer trauma-focused CBT, and EMDR in some circumstances. The ISTSS guidelines, which are international, give a strong recommendation to a similar list that includes EMDR.
Not every therapy in the guidelines is trauma-focused. The VA/DoD guideline suggests, as a weaker recommendation, present-centered therapy, which the VA calls "a non-trauma-focused talk therapy." The American Psychological Association found insufficient evidence to recommend for or against it.
Psychodynamic therapy has been studied much less for PTSD. The VA/DoD guideline, the American Psychological Association and ISTSS all place it under insufficient evidence. That means too little good research. It is not proof that a therapy fails, and it is not an endorsement.
Guidelines are also not rules for every person. The VA/DoD guideline says it is not intended to define a standard of care. The VA tells patients: "If you are happy with a treatment not listed here, there is no need to change it. Sometimes people may choose a treatment that does not have a strong evidence base, and that treatment may be helpful." Types of trauma therapy and what the research says goes through each approach.
What does the label "trauma-informed" tell you about a therapist?
SAMHSA wrote its definition for programs, organizations and systems. Applied to one therapist, the label is this guide's plain reading of those principles:
- What it tells you: how the therapist means to treat you. Safety, choice, working together, and care not to add to the harm.
- What it does not tell you: which therapy they use, what they were trained in, or whether they offer a trauma-focused treatment.
A therapist can be trauma-informed, trauma-focused, both or neither. Neither phrase is a license or a protected title. How to choose a trauma therapist explains how to check a license and a training claim.
How does Dr. Rabin describe her own work?
Her trauma therapy page describes her approach as psychodynamic, attachment-based, trauma-informed and mindfulness-based, guided by safety, pacing and the therapeutic relationship. The work moves at the client's pace and builds trust and stability before approaching painful material. The client decides what is discussed and when. She trained at The Trauma Center and has over 21 years of clinical practice.
In the terms of this page, "trauma-informed" describes how she works. It does not tell you whether she offers one of the named trauma-focused treatments, and this guide makes no statement either way. The treatments that guidelines recommend most strongly for PTSD are trauma-focused ones. If you want cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, EMDR or another specific treatment, ask her directly whether she offers it or would refer you, as you would ask any therapist. She offers a free consultation of about 15 minutes, which you can request through the contact page.
Which questions cut through the labels?
The first three come from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) list of questions to ask a therapist. The rest are this guide's own.
- What approach will you use to help me? Do you practice a particular type of therapy?
- What is the rationale for the therapy and its evidence base?
- How will progress be assessed?
- When you say trauma-informed, what does that look like in a session with you?
- Do you offer a trauma-focused treatment such as cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure or EMDR? If not, would you refer me if I wanted one?
- Would I be asked to talk about what happened, and who decides when?
Keep reading
Sources
- SAMHSA, Trauma-Informed Approaches and Programs (last updated 02/08/2026)
- SAMHSA, SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884 (July 2014; copy hosted by the New York State Department of Health)
- VA National Center for PTSD, Signs of Good PTSD Care (last updated September 25, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder (June 2023)
- American Psychological Association, Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Adults (2025)
- NICE (UK), Post-traumatic stress disorder, NG116, Recommendations (2018)
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, ISTSS PTSD Prevention and Treatment Guidelines: Methodology and Recommendations (2019)
- VA National Center for PTSD, Present-Centered Therapy for PTSD (last updated September 25, 2026)
- National Institute of Mental Health, Psychotherapies (last reviewed February 2024)
Last reviewed October 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
