Principle 5: Empowerment
3:02
Companion Slides
Restoring voice, choice, and agency — empowerment as the antidote to helplessness.
Key Concepts
- Trauma takes away control — empowerment gives it back
- Voice: being heard, believed, and valued
- Choice: even small options restore agency
- Building on strengths, not deficits
- The opposite of helplessness is not power — it's self-efficacy
Part of
Module 3: Six Core Principles
The SAMHSA framework: Safety, Trust, Peer Support, Collaboration, Empowerment, Cultural Humility.