As a healthcare provider, you may already sense some tensions between seclusion use and your commitment to trauma-informed, person-centered care. This module introduces the ethical tensions and the structural and legal challenges that sustain the use of seclusion. Then, we explore evidence-informed practical strategies to reduce harms at the level of your practice, your environment, and the broader system. 

The quotes and strategies presented in this module are grounded in original research and include voices of mental health providers, including nurses, social workers, mental health workers, and security officers, working in inpatient mental health settings. The strategies emerged from knowledge-sharing activities, including interdisciplinary round table gatherings, staff huddles, and meetings, where we discussed the research and ways to reduce the harms of seclusion.