What is the TSI-2?

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The Trauma Symptom Inventory-2 (TSI-2) is a comprehensive psychological assessment tool designed to measure the effects of trauma and stress on your mental health and daily functioning. This scientifically proven test contains 136 carefully crafted questions that help our clinical team understand how past traumatic experiences may be affecting you today.

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Unlike other assessments that focus only on specific disorders like PTSD, the TSI-2 takes a broader approach. It examines the many ways that trauma can impact your life, including your relationships, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. This comprehensive view allows our clinicians to develop a more complete understanding of your unique situation and create a treatment plan tailored specifically to your needs.

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The TSI-2 is written at a level that most adults can easily understand, and it typically takes about 20-25 minutes to complete. You will rate how often you have experienced various symptoms or feelings over the past six months, using a simple scale from "never" to "often."

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When and Why, We Use the TSI-2 at FHCTS

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At FHCTS, we may recommend the TSI-2 assessment after you have completed initial screening tools that suggest you may have experienced trauma. Specifically, we often use the TSI-2 when:

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• Initial screenings indicate potential trauma: After you complete the PC-PTSD-5 (a brief PTSD screening tool) and the ACEs test (which measures adverse childhood experiences), our clinicians may identify signs that warrant deeper evaluation.

• Complex trauma symptoms are present: If you show signs of trauma that go beyond typical PTSD symptoms, such as relationship difficulties, emotional regulation problems, or unexplained physical symptoms.

• Multiple traumatic experiences: When you have experienced several traumatic events throughout your life, the TSI-2 helps us understand how these experiences have combined to affect your current functioning.

• Treatment planning needs: Before beginning therapy, we use the TSI-2 to identify which areas need the most attention and to track your progress over time.

• Comprehensive evaluation required: When other assessments don't fully capture the complexity of your symptoms, the TSI-2 provides a more detailed picture.

 

What the TSI-2 Measures

 

The TSI-2 evaluates twelve key areas where trauma can impact your life, organized into four main categories:

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Self-Disturbance

 

This category examines how trauma affects your relationship with yourself:

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• Insecure Attachment: Difficulties trusting others and forming close relationships due to past betrayals or abandonment

• Impaired Self-Reference: Problems with self-awareness, identity confusion, and difficulty understanding your own thoughts and feelings

• Tension Reduction Behavior: Unhealthy coping strategies you might use to manage emotional pain, such as substance use, self-harm, or risky behaviors

 

Posttraumatic Stress

 

This section focuses on classic trauma symptoms:

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• Intrusive Experiences: Unwanted memories, flashbacks, nightmares, and disturbing thoughts about traumatic events

• Defensive Avoidance: Going to great lengths to avoid reminders of trauma, including places, people, thoughts, or activities

• Anxiety: Persistent worry, fear, and feelings of being on edge or unsafe

• Depression: Ongoing sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in activities, and feelings of worthlessness

 

Externalization

 

This category looks at how trauma might cause you to act out or struggle with control:

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• Anger: Frequent irritability, rage, or difficulty controlling angry feelings and reactions

• Suicidality: Thoughts of death, self-harm, or suicide, which can develop when trauma becomes overwhelming

 

Somatization

 

This area examines physical symptoms that may be related to psychological trauma:

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• Somatic Preoccupation: Excessive worry about physical health, unexplained aches and pains, or physical symptoms that don't have clear medical causes

• Sexual Disturbance: Problems with sexual functioning, intimacy, or sexual behavior that may stem from traumatic experiences

 

Additional Important Features

 

Critical Items: The TSI-2 includes eight special questions that help identify serious concerns requiring immediate attention, such as thoughts of suicide or harming others.

Validity Scales: The assessment includes built-in checks to ensure your responses are consistent and reliable, helping our clinicians understand if you might be minimizing symptoms (perhaps due to shame or fear) or if you're in such distress that symptoms seem overwhelming.

Progress Tracking: The TSI-2 can be given multiple times during treatment to track your improvement and adjust your care plan as needed.

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Types of Traumas the TSI-2 Addresses

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The TSI-2 is designed to assess the effects of many different types of traumatic experiences, including:

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• Childhood abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional)

• Childhood neglect or abandonment

• Domestic violence or intimate partner abuse

• Sexual assault at any age

• Physical assault or violence

• Combat or military trauma

• Motor vehicle accidents

• Medical trauma or serious illness

• Natural disasters

• Witnessing violence or death

• Loss of loved ones under traumatic circumstances

• Workplace trauma or accidents

• Community violence

 

What Happens After You Complete the TSI-2

 

Once you finish the assessment, our trained clinicians will carefully analyze your responses. This analysis helps us:

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1. Identify your primary areas of concern and which symptoms are most severe

2. Understand patterns in how trauma has affected different areas of your life

3. Develop targeted treatment goals that address your specific needs

4. Choose the most effective therapies for your symptom profile

5. Monitor your progress throughout treatment by comparing future assessments to your initial results

 

Confidentiality and Your Rights

 

Your TSI-2 results are completely confidential and protected by the same privacy laws that cover all your medical information. Only your treatment team at FHCTS will have access to your results, and they will only be shared with other healthcare providers with your written permission.

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You have the right to:

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• Ask questions about any part of the assessment

• Request breaks if you become overwhelmed during testing

• Discuss your results with your clinician

• Refuse to answer specific questions if they cause severe distress

• Request a copy of your results for your personal records

 

Moving Forward

 

The TSI-2 is an important step in understanding how trauma may be affecting your life and wellbeing. While completing this assessment may bring up difficult emotions or memories, remember that this is part of the healing process. Our skilled clinicians are here to support you every step of the way.

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By taking the TSI-2, you are taking a courageous step toward recovery. The detailed information this assessment provides will help us work together to develop an effective treatment plan that addresses your unique needs and helps you reclaim your life from the effects of trauma.

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If you have any questions about the TSI-2 or concerns about taking this assessment, please discuss with Daniel, he is committed to making this process as comfortable and beneficial as possible for you.