What is trauma-informed design?

Trauma-informed design applies the principles of trauma-informed care to physical space, so that a building feels safe, predictable and respectful to people who may have experienced trauma.

Who uses trauma-informed design?

Behavioral health and addiction treatment centers, shelters, clinics, schools and public agencies all use it, often for people living with PTSD, addiction or the effects of past trauma.

Exterior entrance at All Points North Aurora campus, Aurora, Colorado, photographed by Architectural Storytelling

Trauma-Informed Design: What It Looks Like in a Treatment Center

Q: What are the principles of trauma-informed care?

SAMHSA lists six: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice and choice; and cultural, historical and gender issues.

Commercial PhotographyHealthcare Photography

October 1, 2026

Words by Architectural Storytelling

Many of the people who walk into a treatment center are carrying something heavy. PTSD, addiction, grief, years of stress that finally caught up. The care they receive is designed around that reality, and more and more, so are the buildings. That is the idea behind trauma-informed design.

Exterior entrance of All Points North behavioral health campus in Aurora, Colorado — All Points North, Aurora. A clear, welcoming arrival.

Where it comes from

In 2014, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. It sets out six key principles: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice and choice; and cultural, historical and gender issues.

The guidance is mostly about how people are treated, and it also names the physical environment directly. An organization should make sure its setting promotes a sense of safety and collaboration, and that people experience it as safe, inviting and free of risk to their physical or psychological safety. Architects and designers have spent the decade since working out what that means in plaster, glass and fabric.

The six principles, in a building

Safety

Safety starts at the curb. A visible, well-lit entry, a clear path to the front desk and no confusing back hallways. Inside, rooms that feel calm and predictable, with good sightlines and nowhere that feels hidden.

Reception and lobby at All Points North Aurora — A lobby you can read in a glance.

Trustworthiness and transparency

People trust what they can see. Glass where privacy allows, signs that say plainly what happens in each room, and a layout where the next step is always visible.

Peer support

Group rooms, dining areas and lounges that invite people to sit together, with furniture arranged in circles and clusters so conversation comes naturally.

Lounge and dining area at All Points North Aurora — Shared space arranged for conversation.

Collaboration and mutuality

Spaces that soften the line between staff and patient: consultation rooms with lounge seating and no desk between people, and common areas staff use too.

Empowerment, voice and choice

Choice is a design feature. A quiet corner apart from the group. A door that closes. A lamp a person can turn on or off. Small options give back a sense of control that trauma often takes away.

Patient room at All Points North Aurora — A private room with the comforts of home.

Cultural, historical and gender issues

Respect shows up in privacy, in gender-specific spaces where they are needed, and in art and materials chosen with many different people in mind.

Lounge with timber details at All Points North Lodge in Edwards — All Points North Lodge, Edwards. Warmth and a place to sit apart.

What I look for when I photograph these spaces

I have photographed every All Points North facility, from the lodge in Edwards to the Aurora campus, PLUS in Boulder and the clinic in Dallas-Fort Worth. On every one of them, the photographs had the same job as the design: help a frightened person feel that this is a safe place to begin.

That means level, honest compositions with nothing distorted. Soft, even light that feels calm and never institutional. Rooms photographed empty and spotless, with nothing personal in frame. And details, like a lamp, a blanket or a view, that show the care someone put into the space.

Common area at All Points North Dallas-Fort Worth — All Points North, Dallas-Fort Worth.

If you are building or marketing a treatment center, see our healthcare photography. And if you or someone you love is struggling, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day at 1-800-662-4357.