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Guided meditation app

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Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace

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Live a healthier, happier, more well-rested life in just a few minutes a day with the Headspace app.

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Descriptions of activities that range from 2 minutes to 1 hour

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Current Issue Discover the latest issue of Mindful magazine read our newsletter Get the latest in mindfulness, delivered to your inbox

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Mental Health Practices for elementary classrooms 

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Mental Health Practices for elementary classrooms 

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from School Mental Health Ontario and Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario

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Easy-to-implement, evidence-based mental health practices for elementary classrooms

Explore by skill category

Or, view all practices and use filters to find what you need

The practices align with Ontario's curriculum and are designed to help educators model and teach social-emotional skills and create and sustain mentally healthy classrooms.

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Everyday Mental Health Classroom Resource - Help students learn to take care of their mental health through simple, everyday classroom practices.

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5 minutes wellbeing activities

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Energise, refocus and develop wellbeing in your students. Wellbeing Fives are five-minute activities to use in your classroom, homeroom or assembly structures.

This will provide you with:

Whole-class and individual activities

Activities to get your students thinking and moving

Ideas for energising and refocusing, building relationships, improving communication, developing problem-solving skills and enhancing wellbeing in our students.

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Energise, refocus and develop wellbeing in your students. Wellbeing Fives are five-minute activities to use in your classroom, homeroom or assembly structures. This will provide you with: Whole-class and individual activities Activities to get your students thinking and moving Ideas for energising and refocusing, building relationships, improving communication, developing problem-solving skills and enhancing wellbeing in our students.

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from Ottawa Public Health

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from Khan Academy

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Mindfulness & wellbeing app

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From the University of Michigan

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© 2015 - 2021, Regents of the University of Michigan.

The University of Michigan Health System web site does not provide specific medical advice and does not endorse any medical or professional service obtained through information provided on this site or any links to this site. Complete disclaimer and Privacy Statement

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The University of Michigan Health System web site does not provide specific medical advice and does not endorse any medical or professional service obtained through information provided on this site or any links to this site. Complete disclaimer and Privacy Statement

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from the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative

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The AFWI Brain Story Certification will teach you how the brain develops, the neurobiology of addiction and the foundations for prevention and resilience.

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Great work in-class work periods!

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Defonic - a fabulous ambient noise generator

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Ambient sounds for use as background noise at home or in the office. Create your own unique sound environment with our noise generator.

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from the Guided Meditation Framework

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If you have been conscious for the past couple of years, then you know there has never been a greater need for meditation. As we become more disconnected & distracted, our world is yearning to rediscover the ancient & sacred relationship with our souls. Knowing how to guide a meditation class is knowing how to reconnect our world to what we have lost, but hope to find, one meditation experience at a time.

Before we dive into the details, let's get clear on what we mean by "guiding a meditation class"...

Guiding vs. Teaching a Meditation Class

Defining these two terms can help clarify the type of experience you are looking to offer:

1. Teaching Meditation: Instructing clients on how to meditate, including demonstrating proper posture, breathing techniques, etc.

2. Guiding Meditation: Guiding participants though a meditation experience designed to spark insight, healing, healthy self-reflection or constructive imagination

Getting proper training is a necessity if you want to guide meditation classes effectively. But once you are comfortable leading guided meditations, the next step is to learn how to run your own meditation class.

How to Structure a Meditation Class

Before I explain how to structure your meditation class, I'd like to point out that this information is to be taken broadly. You should not feel constrained by the principles outlined, but rather, guided by them.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to leading meditations, but there are best practices and proven frameworks.

Here is the general structure I suggest:

Knowing how to start a meditation class is critical. The way you start each class sets the tone, expectations & focus for the experience.

I suggest always starting a meditation class with a brief discussion around a relevant quote or story that has a lesson to be gleaned from it. Beginning in this way helps to grab the class' attention and bridge the gap between their previous activity and the coming meditation experience.

This discussion can be used to set a desired outcome, intention or line of inquiry for your meditation class. Experiences that have a focus typically are more effective & insightful, so think about how you can use your discussion to lead a meditation session with a purpose.

Once everyone is comfortable, progressive relaxation is the next step in guiding your participants into a meditative state. Start with several cycles of slow, focused breathing. Establish the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation for your participants initially by SILENTLY counting to yourself: 4 seconds on the inhalation, 2 seconds at the top of the breath, 4 seconds on the exhalation, and 2 seconds at the bottom of the breath.

Next, you want to help your participants release tension in their body, specifically in areas where we hold stress & other feelings/emotions. If you're new to leading meditation classes, just keep it simple and have them relax the area around their eyes, release their jaw and drop their shoulders.

This is the most important part of the meditation, so allow at least 6 minutes of slow focused breathing & physical relaxation here so your participants' brain waves have time to shift from beta to alpha.

At this point, your audience's mind and body are relaxed and they are ready to use their imagination. The purpose of this step is to help your participants explore their thoughts and feelings or prompt them to utilize this fertile state of mind to contemplate and self-reflect.

This is the place where you truly become an imaginative tour guide. You can use guided imagery or thought-provoking questions to direct the experience towards a specific goal or outcome.

Experienced meditation facilitators know that the secret to leading a great meditation class is maximizing the amount of time spent in silence. For your participants, the most impactful moments of a meditation class will always happen in the moments when you are not speaking, when your participants can explore their own thoughts, feelings & emotions without interruption or suggestion.

After you have engaged their imagination & inspired them with thought-provoking questions or guided imagery, allow time for silent self-reflection.

Before going silent, say something like, "my voice will be quiet for a bit..." It's important that you say this to make your participants aware that you are intentionally creating the space for them to go within. Otherwise, they may be waiting for your next instruction rather than using their imagination to contemplate & explore.

After a sufficient amount of silent reflection time has passed, gently reintroduce your voice by saying something like, "And slowly, coming back to the sound of my voice."

This is a great time to ask your participants to take something with them from the experience. It can be in the form of a realization or a simple recognition of a feeling. Prompting a takeaway in this manner is important to help your audience remember the experience as they go forward and take something of value with them.

Then, bring your participants through a progressive re-engagement with their body. Starting at the feet, having them wiggle their toes & roll their ankles, slowly working the way up their body & torso, possibly asking them to stretch, etc. The idea is that you want to slowly bring them back into their body & transition them out of a meditative state and into a state of waking consciousness so the end of the meditation does not abruptly jolt them out of a deep state of relaxation, which can actually be harmful.

Finally, ask your participants to open their eyes. I suggest offering your participants a conscious action to acknowledge the experience they had and solidify any insights into their memory. If possible, have them write for a few minutes in a journal, about anything. If that's not possible, simply asking everyone to stay off their phones for at least 10 minutes.

Helping your students to carve out just 10 extra minutes free from digital distractions at the end of a meditation class can be just what they need to allow the insight they had to sink in deep enough to have a lasting impact, so don't forget to suggest something like this every time.

5 Tips to Run a Meditation Class Like a Pro

1. Prepare & Practice Your Performance

Script out what you're going to say and rehearse it. Knowing specifically what you're going to say for the introductory talk and during the meditation itself is critical to iron out the kinks and align your goal with the needs of the participants. Until you have facilitated 20 or more meditations, I would even suggest that you use a meditation script during the meditation session.

While you may be nervous the first few times, as you continue to develop your ability to facilitate and see the benefit you are able to bring to people through guided meditation, your nerves will gradually subside. Even highly experienced facilitators rehearse to calm nerves and feel confident when it comes time to lead.

2. Assume a Posture of Confidence

When you begin your introductory talk, sit or stand up straight, with your back tall and hands placed in a comfortable position. You can interlock your fingers with your index fingers pointing to touch at the tips for example. Return to this position with your hands whenever you're not using them for something else.

This is known as "anchoring" in public speaking and it will help you avoid nervous hand movements and improve your focus on what you want to say. Using this anchor when you rehearse beforehand will also help you recall your words during the experience and allow you to speak with confidence.

3. Play Ambient & Featureless Meditation Music

Background music is important to give participants' wandering minds something to focus on throughout the meditation. Additionally, music helps mask distracting noises inside and outside the room (loud breathing, coughing or traffic outside). When selecting your music, be sure to choose music without lyrics and variable volume.

As a bonus, incorporating music into your guided meditation class will help you to feel more comfortable during periods of silence. Feeling comfortable with long silences separates those who know how to guide a meditation session effectively from those who don't.

4. Take Extra Care to Set Up Each Participant

Every participant needs to be comfortable. If someone isn't comfortable, they will be constantly shifting & moving, distracting other participants and may end up blaming you for their inability to engage meaningfully in the meditation experience.

So, make sure you have at your location everything your participants will need to be comfortable for their meditation experience. If you're leading virtually, be sure you inform each participant what they should bring to the call & how they should prepare a space in their home or office to meditate free of interruptions. And if you see something, say something; don't let a participant assume a posture that you know is going to be uncomfortable after a few minutes. Be bold in making sure everyone is snug as a bug before beginning.

A few times throughout the meditation, suggest to the class that they shift or move if they need to get more comfortable. Many people feel like they need to morph into a mannequin and be completely still to meditate "properly". This is obviously not true, but some people force themselves to dwell in a meditation-ruining position of stagnant discomfort because of it.

5. Allow for Ample Silence

Like I mentioned before, for your participants, the value of a guided meditation is discovered in the silent spaces of the experience, not when you are guiding them.

Allowing time for your participants to engage in an internal dialogue and contemplate is essential. And experienced facilitators have the confidence to hold this space, without feeling like "they aren't doing enough".

Make sure you allow enough time for your participants to follow each piece of guidance you give them. Like I mentioned in the previous section, there should certainly be a segment of your meditation class dedicated to silent reflection, but you should seek to create as much silence throughout the entire meditation experience as you can without compromising the effectiveness of your guidance.

For more tips to master guiding meditation, read our blog post on 9 Tips for Leading a Group Guided Meditation Session or How to Teach Meditation Techniques - For Beginners .

How Much Should You Charge for a Meditation Class?

The price of your meditation class depends on what others in your area charge, your credentials, class size, session length and what your business expenses are to run each session.

A typical meditation class price ranges from $15 - $25 per hour, per student. Of course, one-on-one sessions charge substantially more per hour.

To be honest, meditation classes are a fun way to gain valuable experience leading group guided meditation sessions, but they will not be the biggest money maker. Creating workshops or group coaching style offers will be a more lucrative next step for you to take, after you feel comfortable leading meditation classes.

My articles on how to start an online meditation business & how to create a workshop will be helpful for you to gain some insight on how to create valuable offers in this industry.

Learn How to Lead Guided Meditations

There are two ways to become a meditation teacher . You can do it yourself by reading books on guided and therapeutic imagery, download scripts online and learn through trial and error. Or, you can take years off your learning curve by enrolling in a guided meditation facilitator training .

Here at The Guided Meditation Framework™ , we teach , therapists, practitioners, yoga teachers and other professionals how to lead outcome-oriented guided meditations. Our approach covers how to implement this tool in both 1-on-1 sessions, and how to integrate it into group events, retreats and workshops.

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If you have been conscious for the past couple of years, then you know there has never been a greater need for meditation. As we become more disconnected & distracted, our world is yearning to rediscover the ancient & sacred relationship with our souls.

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‘Forest Bathing’ Is Great for Your Health. Here’s How to Do It

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‘Forest Bathing’ Is Great for Your Health. Here’s How to Do It

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from Time Magazine

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We all know how good being in nature can make us feel. We have known it for centuries. The sounds of the forest, the scent of the trees, the sunlight playing through the leaves, the fresh, clean air - these things give us a sense of comfort. They ease our stress and worry, help us to relax and to think more clearly. Being in nature can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us.

But what exactly is this feeling that is so hard to put into words? I am a scientist, not a poet. And I have been investigating the science behind that feeling for many years.

In Japan, we practice something called forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku. Shinrin in Japanese means "forest," and yoku means "bath." So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses.
Make your wellbeing a priority and sign up for TIME's guide to self-care.
This is not exercise, or hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Shinrin-yoku is like a bridge. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world.

Never have we been so far from merging with the natural world and so divorced from nature. By 2050, 66% of the world's population is projected to live in cities. According to a study sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 93% of his or her time indoors.

But the good news is that even a small amount of time in nature can have an impact on our health. A two-hour forest bath will help you to unplug from technology and slow down. It will bring you into the present moment and de-stress and relax you. Numerous studies I've conducted have shown that shinrin-yoku has real health benefits.

So how does one go about forest bathing?

First, find a spot. Make sure you have left your phone and camera behind. You are going to be walking aimlessly and slowly. You don't need any devices. Let your body be your guide. Listen to where it wants to take you. Follow your nose. And take your time. It doesn't matter if you don't get anywhere. You are not going anywhere. You are savoring the sounds, smells and sights of nature and letting the forest in.

The key to unlocking the power of the forest is in the five senses. Let nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet. Listen to the birds singing and the breeze rustling in the leaves of the trees. Look at the different greens of the trees and the sunlight filtering through the branches. Smell the fragrance of the forest and breathe in the natural aromatherapy of phytoncides. Taste the freshness of the air as you take deep breaths. Place your hands on the trunk of a tree. Dip your fingers or toes in a stream. Lie on the ground. Drink in the flavor of the forest and release your sense of joy and calm. This is your sixth sense, a state of mind. Now you have connected with nature. You have crossed the bridge to happiness.

When it comes to finding calm and relaxation, there is no one-size-fits-all solution - it differs from person to person. It is important to find a place that suits you. If you love the smell of damp soil, you will be most relaxed where the natural landscape provides it. Then the effects of the forest will be more powerful. Maybe you have a place in the countryside that reminds you of your childhood or of happy times in the past. These places will be special to you and your connection with them will be strong.

When you have been busy at work all week, it can be hard to slow down. You may have been rushing around so much you no longer know how to stand still. Walking with a guide who is a trained forest therapist can help you feel more comfortable and find the right environment to fit your needs. In one of my favorite forests, Iinan Furusato-no-Mori, the forest-therapy program includes guided walks. Doctors are on hand to offer general health assessments. When you arrive, you are given a physical health check and a psychological questionnaire. The therapist then works out the best walking plan for you.

But it is just as easy to forest-bathe without a guide. And there are many different activities you can do in the forest that will help you to relax and to connect with nature. Here are some of the things people do: forest walking, yoga, eating in the forest, hot-spring therapy, T'ai chi, meditation, breathing exercises, aromatherapy, art classes and pottery, Nordic walking and plant observation. It doesn't matter how fit - or unfit - you are. Shinrin-yoku is suitable for any level of fitness.

You can forest-bathe anywhere in the world - wherever there are trees; in hot weather or in cold; in rain, sunshine or snow. You don't even need a forest. Once you have learned how to do it, you can do shinrin-yoku anywhere - in a nearby park or in your garden. Look for a place where there are trees, and off you go!
From FOREST BATHING: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li, published on April 17, 2018 by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © Qing Li, 2018.
Contact us at letters@time.com.

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'Forest Bathing' Is Great for Your Health. Here's How to Do It

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Discover how the Japanese practice of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, can improve your health, according to Dr. Qing Li.

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Why Teacher Self-Care Matters and How to Practice Self-Care in Your School

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Why Teacher Self-Care Matters and How to Practice Self-Care in Your School

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from Waterford.org

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What is Teacher Self-Care and How to Practice It

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Discover what self-care is, why it’s important for teachers, and how to bring self-care activities in your daily life and in the classroom.

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from the WE Charity

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Hosted by Madame Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, this special podcast series offers listeners hands-on advice, tools and strategies to foster well-being. Featuring thought-provoking and informative conversations between mental health experts, advocates and celebrities to help empower people of all ages with tools to help support their well-being and the well-being of their community.

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Hosted by Madame Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, this special podcast series offers listeners hands-on advice, tools and strategies to foster well-being. Featuring thought-provoking and informative conversations between mental health experts, advocates and celebrities to help empower people of all ages with tools to help support their well-being and the well-being of their community.

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from the World Health Organization

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Susan is amazing in her insights and conversational approach. I am so glad and blessed to have found her and started healing with her guidance.

Written by S.A. For Susan Hargett (LPC, NCC, YACEP)

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Susan is amazing in her insights and conversational approach. I am so glad and blessed to have found her and started healing with her guidance. Written by S.A. For Susan Hargett (LPC, NCC, YACEP)

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Practical resources to support student mental health during COVID-19

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Practical resources to support student mental health during COVID-19

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from School Mental Health Ontario

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The evidence and answers you need when you need them
Download the Leading Mentally Healthy Schools ebook, our comprehensive leadership guide packed with actionable ideas based on the latest evidence.

Find evidence-informed information and resources relevant to your role

Educators and student support staff

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Find evidence-informed resources and information to support student mental health

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Search Results | Kids Help Phone's Resources Around Me

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Browse search results for the right program to support you through whatever's going on in your life.

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How teachers can help students navigate trauma

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How teachers can help students navigate trauma

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by Lisa Godwin

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How teachers can help students navigate trauma | Lisa Godwin

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USING PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) IN SCHOOL

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USING PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) IN SCHOOL

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from The Attach Team

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Childhood Trauma: What Every Teacher Needs to Know

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Childhood Trauma: What Every Teacher Needs to Know

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from WeAreTeachers

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Childhood Trauma: What Every Teacher Needs to Know

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from the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI)

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Trauma-Sensitive Schools: A Whole-School Approach - Trauma Sensitive Schools

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Trauma-Sensitive Schools and Safe and Supportive Schools benefit all children. TLPI embraces a whole-school approach that enables all children to achieve.

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The Different Types of Attachment Styles

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The Different Types of Attachment Styles

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from the VeryWell Mind

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Attachment styles are characterized by different ways of interacting and behaving in relationships. During early childhood, these attachment styles are centered on how children and parents interact. In adulthood, attachment styles are used to describe patterns of attachment in romantic relationships. The concept of attachment styles grew out the attachment theory and research that emerged throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Today, psychologists typically recognize four main attachment styles.

What Is Attachment?

Attachment is a special emotional relationship that involves an exchange of comfort, care, and pleasure. The roots of research on attachment began with Freud's theories about love, but another researcher is usually credited as the father of attachment theory.

John Bowlby devoted extensive research to the concept of attachment, describing it as a "lasting psychological connectedness between human beings."

Bowlby shared the psychoanalytic view that early experiences in childhood are important for influencing development and behavior later in life. Our early attachment styles are established in childhood through the infant/caregiver relationship.

In addition to this, Bowlby believed that attachment had an evolutionary component; it aids in survival. "The propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular individuals [is] a basic component of human nature," he explained.

Characteristics of Attachment

Bowlby believed that there are four distinguishing characteristics of attachment:

1. Proximity Maintenance - The desire to be near the people we are attached to.

2. Safe Haven - Returning to the attachment figure for comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat.

3. Secure Base - The attachment figure acts as a base of security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment.

4. Separation Distress - Anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment figure.

Bowlby also made three key propositions about attachment theory.

Secondly, he believed that this confidence is forged during a critical period of development, during the years of infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The expectations that are formed during that period tend to remain relatively unchanged for the rest of the person's life.

Finally, he suggested that these expectations that are formed are directly tied to experience. In other words, children develop expectations that their caregivers will be responsive to their needs because, in their experience, their caregivers have been responsive in the past.

Ainsworth's Strange Situation Assessment

During the 1970s, psychologist Mary Ainsworth further expanded upon Bowlby's groundbreaking work in her now-famous "Strange Situation" study. The study involved observing children between the ages of 12 to 18 months responding to a situation in which they were briefly left alone and then reunited with their mother.

Ainsworth's Strange Situation Assessment followed this basic sequence:

1. Parent and child are alone in a room

2. The child explores the room with parental supervision

3. A stranger enters the room, talks to the parent, and approaches the child

4. The parent quietly leaves the room

5. The parent returns and comforts the child

Based on these observations, Ainsworth concluded that there were three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment.

Researchers Main and Solomon added a fourth attachment style known as disorganized-insecure attachment. Numerous studies have supported Ainsworth's conclusions and additional research has revealed that these early attachment styles can help predict behaviors later in life.

Attachment Through Life

Before you start blaming relationship problems on your parents, it is important to note that attachment styles formed during early childhood are not necessarily identical to those demonstrated in adult romantic attachments. A great deal of time has elapsed between infancy and adulthood, so intervening experiences also play a large role in adult attachment styles.

Those described as ambivalent or avoidant during childhood can become securely attached as adults, while those with a secure attachment in childhood can show insecure attachment patterns in adulthood. Basic temperament is also thought to play a partial role in attachment.

So what role might factors such as divorce or parental discord play in the formation of attachment styles? In one study, Hazan and Shaver found that parental divorce seemed unrelated to attachment style. Instead, their research indicated that the best predictor of adult attachment style was the perceptions that people have about the quality of their relationships with their parents as well as their parent's relationship with each other.

But research in this area does indicate that patterns established in childhood have an important impact on later relationships. Hazan and Shaver also found varied beliefs about relationships amongst adults with differing attachment styles. Securely attached adults tend to believe that romantic love is enduring. Ambivalently attached adults report falling in love often, while those with avoidant attachment styles describe love as rare and temporary.

While we cannot say that early attachment styles are identical to adult romantic attachment, research has shown that early attachment styles can help predict patterns of behavior in adulthood.

Secure Attachment Characteristics

Children who are securely attached generally become visibly upset when their caregivers leave and are happy when their parents return. When frightened, these children will seek comfort from the parent or caregiver. Contact initiated by a parent is readily accepted by securely attached children and they greet the return of a parent with positive behavior. While these children can be comforted to some extent by other people in the absence of a parent or caregiver, they clearly prefer parents to strangers.

Parents of securely attached children tend to play more with their children. Additionally, these parents react more quickly to their children's needs and are generally more responsive to their children than the parents of insecurely attached children. Studies have shown that securely attached children are more empathetic during later stages of childhood. These children are also described as less disruptive, less aggressive, and more mature than children with ambivalent or avoidant attachment styles.

As Children

Are able to separate from parent

Seek comfort from parents when frightened

Greets return of parents with positive emotions

Prefers parents to strangers

As Adults

Have trusting, lasting relationships

Tend to have good self-esteem

Are comfortable sharing feelings with partners and friends

Seek out social support

While forming a secure attachment with caregivers is normal and expected, as Hazan and Shaver have noted, it doesn't always happen. Researchers have found a number of different factors that contribute to the development (or lack thereof) of secure attachment, particularly a mother's responsiveness to her infant's needs during the first year of a child's life. Mothers who respond inconsistently or who interfere with child's activities tend to produce infants who explore less, cry more, and are more anxious. Mothers who consistently reject or ignore their infant's needs tend to produce children who try to avoid contact.

As adults, those who are securely attached tend to have trusting, long-term relationships. Other key characteristics of securely attached individuals include having high self-esteem, enjoying intimate relationships, seeking out social support, and an ability to share feelings with other people.

In one study, researchers found that women with a secure attachment style had more positive feelings about their adult romantic relationships than other women with insecure attachment styles.

How many people classify themselves as securely attached? In a classic study by Hazan and Shaver, 56 percent of respondents identified themselves as secure, while 25 percent identified as avoidant, and 19 percent as ambivalent/anxious.

Ambivalent Attachment Characteristics

Children who are ambivalently attached tend to be extremely suspicious of strangers. These children display considerable distress when separated from a parent or caregiver, but do not seem reassured or comforted by the return of the parent. In some cases, the child might passively reject the parent by refusing comfort, or may openly display direct aggression toward the parent.

According to Cassidy and Berlin, ambivalent attachment is relatively uncommon, with only 7 to 15 percent of infants in the United States displaying this attachment style. In a review of ambivalent attachment literature, Cassidy and Berlin also found that observational research consistently links ambivalent insecure attachment to low maternal availability. As these children grow older, teachers often describe them as clingy and over-dependent.

As adults, those with an ambivalent attachment style often feel reluctant about becoming close to others and worry that their partner does not reciprocate their feelings. This leads to frequent breakups, often because the relationship feels cold and distant. These individuals feel especially distraught after the end of a relationship. Cassidy and Berlin described another pathological pattern where ambivalently attached adults cling to young children as a source of security.

Avoidant Attachment Characteristics

Children with avoidant attachment styles tend to avoid parents and caregivers. This avoidance often becomes especially pronounced after a period of absence. These children might not reject attention from a parent, but neither do they seek out comfort or contact. Children with an avoidant attachment show no preference between a parent and a complete stranger.

As adults, those with an avoidant attachment tend to have difficulty with intimacy and close relationships. These individuals do not invest much emotion in relationships and experience little distress when a relationship ends.

They often avoid intimacy by using excuses (such as long work hours) or may fantasize about other people during sex. Research has also shown that adults with an avoidant attachment style are more accepting and likely to engage in casual sex. Other common characteristics include a failure to support partners during stressful times and an inability to share feelings, thoughts, and emotions with partners.

Disorganized Attachment Characteristics

Children with a disorganized-insecure attachment style show a lack of clear attachment behavior. Their actions and responses to caregivers are often a mix of behaviors, including avoidance or resistance. These children are described as displaying dazed behavior, sometimes seeming either confused or apprehensive in the presence of a caregiver.

At Age 1

Show a mixture of avoidant and resistant behavior

May seem dazed, confused, or apprehensive

Main and Solomon proposed that inconsistent behavior on the part of parents might be a contributing factor in this style of attachment. In later research, Main and Hesse argued that parents who act as figures of both fear and reassurance to a child contribute to a disorganized attachment style. Because the child feels both comforted and frightened by the parent, confusion results.

A Word From Verywell

While adult romantic attachments may not exactly correspond with early childhood attachments, there is no question that our earliest relationships with caregivers play a role in development. By better understanding the role of attachment, you can gain a greater appreciation of how the earliest attachments in your life may impact adult relationships.

Bowlby, J. A Secure Base: Clinical Applications of Attachment Theory. London: Routledge; 2012.

Salter, MD, Ainsworth, MC, Blehar, EW, & Wall, SN. Patterns of Attachment: A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation. New York: Taylor & Francis; 2015.

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What You Should Know About Attachment Styles

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Attachment styles are characterized by different ways of interacting and behaving in relationships. During early childhood, these attachment styles are centered on how children and parents interact. In adulthood, attachment styles are used to describe patterns of attachment in romantic relationships.

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Children’s Problem Behavior Understood Through Brain Science

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Children’s Problem Behavior Understood Through Brain Science

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A look at Mona Delahooke's book "Beyond Behaviours".

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I love Beyond Behaviorsfor a whole lot of reasons. First, I think, is the message of compassionate non-judgement. Mona Delahooke shows how important it is that parents be compassionate with themselves, and practice good self-care techniques as necessary prerequisites for intelligently responding to their challenging children. She also illustrates why children need understanding-not judgement or discipline-when they're behaving badly.

Dr Delahooke shares dozens of case histories from her decades of working with challenging children and their families. In all these cases, she shows how misbehavior is usually an adaptive and unconscious response to an internal reality for the child. That reality is often hidden from the adults in the child's life-masked by their own anxiety or annoyance at the behavior-until they begin to ask themselves why the child is doing what they're doing, and how that particular behavior helps the child cope.

Does the Child Feel Safe?

One of the big messages of Beyond Behaviors is the urgent necessity of safety. Children behave badly when they don't feel safe.

The first question to ask when a child is not behaving is whether the child's body and brain are experiencing safety. If not, the top priority is to figure out what to do to help the child feel safe. "Safety," Delahooke writes, "is the foundation upon which children build the many skills of emotional and behavioral self-control."

Using neuroscientific understandings and clinical experience, Delahooke argues in this book that misbehavior is very often the body's response to stress, and not intentional: "When we see behavior that is problematic or confusing, the first question we should ask is NOT 'How do we get rid of this behavior?' but rather 'What is this telling us about the child?'"

Practice Precision Parenting

Delahooke shows how individual differences make a world of difference, not only to children's developmental trajectories, but also to the strategies and responses that will be useful. Each child is unique genetically, environmentally, and in every other way, with thousands of interacting variables creating a complex and particular human being. One size can never fit all when it comes to knowing how to respond to, and what to expect from, a challenging young human being.

Healing Starts with Love

Another foundational message of Beyond Behaviors is the healing power of love, safety, and connection in relationships. This is true for all children, but those with a vulnerable nervous system can perceive threat even when they're safe. The first step to helping such a child is to build a relationship they experience as secure.

Behavior is a Clue, Not a Disorder

Delahooke writes about behavior as an adaptation to stress or anxiety, a lack of safety. Parents and other caregivers can help children by asking what the underlying problems are, not by labeling the child as having a disorder.

We need to ask what the child is experiencing, rather than what's wrong with them: "Seriously and persistently challenging behaviors are responses to a child's subconscious perception of the lack of safety in her environment (including the lack of relational safety)."

Top-Down or Bottom-Up?

Too often, we automatically address children's behavior as intentional or willful, trying to talk and reason with kids to change their behavior when what they really need before they can do things differently is to feel safe.

Delahooke makes a distinction between bottom-up behavior that is rooted in our senses and unmet subconscious needs, and top-down behavior that is mediated by our intentional thought processes. It is only top-down behavior that is susceptible to conversation, consequences, and logic, which is why so much of what we do with chronically challenging kids just doesn't work. Conversation, consequences, and logic assume a level of self-regulation the child doesn't have, and isn't targeted at the underlying causes that are bottom-up.

Because stress derails the capacity to reason, it is essential to start by ensuring a child feels safe. The foundation of behavioral change is relational security. Nothing is possible without that.

Take Care of Yourself

Children are highly sensitive to their parents' and caregivers' feelings and moods; sensitive kids don't feel safe when the adults in their life are impatient, anxious, or irritable. It is therefore essential that parents and others interacting with children acquire and practice good self-regulation techniques themselves: "We can best support a child when we are calm ourselves."

Delahooke illustrates how a parent's emotional tone is the "raw material" that allows them to help a child with behavioral challenges. Sometimes all a child needs is the calming, warm presence of a loving adult who is completely present to the child, both emotionally and physically (with no distractions like cellphones and other electronic devices).

She includes in Beyond Behaviors several tools for developing mindful self-compassion, and writes, "This concept of self-compassion is not popular in our culture, in which we often manage children first through our authority rather than through connection and engagement... when human beings sense safety, their social-engagement behaviors (the opposite of challenging behaviors) unfold naturally, and the fight, flight, or freeze behaviors recede into the background since they are no longer necessary."

One of the best features of this book are the practical, empowering, step-by-step ideas for finding the calm self-acceptance necessary for building a healing, supportive relationship with even the most challenging and frightened child.

Sensory Processing Problems, Autism, Trauma, and Neurodiversity

Dr Delahooke has worked with a variety of challenging situations. She describes how she and the multidisciplinary teams she works with understand and help children with severe chronic behavioral issues. She describes how what looks like misbehavior is sometimes a result of an overactive sensory system, or some other issue that makes self-regulation impossible until that issue has been addressed.

Simple Ideas for Happier Kids, Happier Families

In the final few pages of Beyond Behaviors, Mona Delahooke provides profoundly simple ideas for parents who want to provide an optimal environment, where even their most challenging children feel safe.

1. Quantity matters (not just quality). Kids do best when they have lots of calm, easy, positive experiences with their parents, so it's good to slow down and be present. When we stop doing so much, and start just being present calmly together, it gives a message of valuing the child for themself.

2. Intentionally look at the child with warmth and connection. Just sit for a moment, focusing on the child and taking in their inherent goodness through your senses.

3. Ask the child what they would like to do with you. The time of connection and interaction doing something of their own choosing is when real magic can happen for a child.

4. Take a slow, mindful walk outside. Slow your pace to allow yourself and your child to take in the experiences around you, step by step. Allow yourself to feel wonder, gratitude, and appreciation for your child and the world around you.

5. Make mealtimes opportunities for social connection. Try to slow down, and have meaningful conversations around a shared meal.

6. Find time to play and have fun together. There is strong evidence that enjoyable, playful activities with children decrease stress and anxiety, and increase health and vitality, for both children and adults.

7. Move the body. Physical movement is good not only for children's bodies, but also their minds and social/emotional development (as with adults).

8. Listen to music. Discover the kind of music your child likes to listen to, then listen to it and dance together.

Case Studies, Summaries, Visual Models, Exercises, Checklists, and Worksheets

In addition to theoretical understandings, Delahooke provides many practical tools that parents and others can use in their work with challenging kids. She shares valuable resources she and her colleagues have developed and used in their multidisciplinary clinical practices.

Connections: Unconditional Positive Regard

I've recently reviewed two other books that are remarkably in sync with Mona Delahooke's Beyond Behaviors. They are Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, and The Orchid and the Dandelion, by W. Thomas Boyce.

In each of these three books, the author considers the topic of challenging children. Who are they? What makes them do what they do? What's the best way to understand and respond to them? Each of these authors is writing on the basis of extensive clinical experience as well as their own experience as a parent, and then making connections to relevant research and theory. And although they come from divergent backgrounds, and bring disparate research to bear on the topics at hand, these authors come together in recommending compassion and self-compassion for parents and challenging kids.

Each of these three authors-Delahooke, Kurcinka, and Boyce-emphasizes the importance of unconditional positive regard in healing and parenting. It is too simplistic to say that all you need is love, but I think each of these experts would agree that good parenting and teaching starts with love.
Further Reading The Orchid and the Dandelion: The Science of Spirited Kids Helping Your Spirited Child's Sensitivity Become a Strength Bad or Spirited? Picky or Discerning? Rude or Honest?

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Children's Problem Behavior Understood Through Brain Science

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I love Beyond Behaviors for a whole lot of reasons. First, I think, is the message of compassionate non-judgement. Mona Delahooke shows how important it is that parents be compassionate with themselves, and practice good self-care techniques as necessary prerequisites for intelligently responding to their challenging children.

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SHARE (Source for Help, Advancement and Renewal for Educators) 

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SHARE (Source for Help, Advancement and Renewal for Educators) 

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Free 3 hr certificate course designed to teach trauma and resiliency training

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Unbroken Curriculum: Purposeful Conversation

SHARE has partnered with Heather Fuller, creator of the Unbroken Curriculum, to develop a course to help teachers create a trusting community in their classrooms.

Learn More

Teaching Through the Coronavirus Pandemic

This course discusses stresses specifically caused by responses to COVID-19, such as quarantine, online learning, and social distancing.

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Why did we build SHARE the way it is?

"Teacher preparation" is a simple phrase, but a complex idea that begs many questions. When we built SHARE, hearing answers to these questions from educators and administrators guided our design.

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Professional Learning Renewed

Our courses enable you to cultivate resilience in yourself, your students, and your community.

Library Full of Resources

We invite you to borrow, share, request, and submit resources to our growing community library.

Community of Educators

SHARE is a place where you can connect with fellow educators to inspire growth and change in your educational community.

Why SHARE?

Our name is a statement of purpose: We are the Source for Help, Advancement, and Renewal for Educators. There is no one-size-fits all solution to teacher burnout, but the most sturdy support for those in need comes from fellow educators-both those in one's local educational community and in the profession at large.

We think of our courses as a catalyst for conversation and growth in local learning communities. By creating intuitive coursework filled with practical guidance and resources from teachers, experts, and designers with different perspectives, we aim to inspire and equip teachers to share their own perspectives, because learning is, fundamentally, sharing.

What You Get with a SHARE Account

By signing up for a free account you get access to:

Three hours of free, self-paced courses with certificates of completion

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Why Is Trauma & Resilience Training Important?

Even if your school or district is not currently using trauma-informed strategies, you've likely seen the research of how such approaches are positively impacting the lives of students, teachers, and administrators across the country. Resiliency, in particular, is important for everyone-students are more likely to posses it if they are taught by teachers who display it, and teachers are more resilient if empowered by knowledgable administrators. Being equipped with the right tools and strategies will help teachers build resilience in light of the secondary trauma they are experiencing in their classrooms every day.

Course Overview

Course Module

Course Discussion

Course Assignment

This course is an eye opener for me because I am someone who is always working more than one job at a time. Learning about how to have time management helps especially that I work with children with disabilities. I have to be able to give 100% at all times with them and even more now with this pandemic.

Nicole Paraprofessional for K-12 Students in Florida

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SHARE has partnered with Heather Fuller, creator of the Unbroken Curriculum, to develop a course to help teachers create a trusting community in their classrooms. Learn More This course discusses stresses specifically caused by responses to COVID-19, such as quarantine, online learning, and social distancing.

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from the Child Mind Institute

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How Trauma Affects Kids in School - Child Mind Institute

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Learn how trauma from ongoing neglect, abuse, homelessness or violence causes children to have problems with learning and behavior. How to help these kids.

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from the Alberta Government

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English
French-language content for this topic on Alberta.ca is currently being developed. Information will remain available on the Alberta Education website until this is complete.

Français
La page correspondante en français est en cours de préparation sur le site Web Alberta.ca. Pendant cette période de transition, l'information qu'elle contient demeure disponible sur le site Web du ministère de l'Éducation.

Overview

Trauma-informed practice, sometimes known as trauma-sensitive practice or safe and supportive schools, creates a shared understanding and common language about how to create welcoming, caring, respectful and safe schools.

All students benefit from learning environments that are:

Trauma risk factors

Prolonged stress caused by issues such as abuse or neglect, can impact brain development. Students who experience severe or chronic trauma without the support of a nurturing relationship, are at high risk for having difficulties with:

They may demonstrate a range of actions from extreme aggression to withdrawal. Focusing on healthy relationships and positive discipline can improve student engagement and school culture.

In any given school, at least one quarter of the students have experienced traumatic or adverse experiences.

Building understanding

When staff understand how trauma affects the brain and the lives of students, they can avoid unknowingly causing a student to feel unsafe or distressed. Staff can choose strategies that show empathy, and help to create safe environment, where students can learn healthy ways to handle emotions and relating to others.

All students benefit from learning environments that are calm and supportive.

Approach

A whole-school approach to trauma-informed practice at school can include strategies such as:

peer mentoring

teacher-student mentoring, or

restorative practices

Social-emotional learning opportunities are critical to students healing as well as to their learning. Providing supportive and compassionate learning environments that are trauma-informed have shown to provide positive impacts on the emotional well-being of students and helps them succeed in academics and social life.

Foundational ideas

Trauma-informed practice creates a school environment where every student feels safe and supported and where staff understand how trauma affects behaviour and emotions.

Key facts

When students experience frequent or continued adversity, the stress can undermine their ability to cope.

Students who have been exposed to unpredictable and uncontrollable danger, such as abuse or severe neglect, live much of their lives in survival mode and respond to the world as a place of danger.

Traumatic stress can negatively impact a child's developing brain.
This can result in learning, memory or social-emotional difficulties.

No 2 individuals experience a similar adverse event in the same way.

A major factor that influences the impact of childhood trauma is the presence or absence of supportive relationships.
Positive relationships and successful involvement in school can buffer the impact of past adverse experiences.

At least one quarter of the students in any given school have experienced traumatic or adverse experiences.

Examples

Sample stories illustrate what trauma-informed practice could look like at different grade level and in different contexts.

The following fictional stories are examples of what trauma-informed practice might look like in a school setting.

Elementary

Staff at an elementary school are working to build predictable and supportive routines throughout the school day. With their school psychologist, the school offered a series of learning sessions to help staff understand brain development and how it impacts students' learning and behaviour.

Staff is beginning to use this information to teach students skills to help regulate their emotions, so they can pause and think about their actions. These skills also support students to be engaged and ready to learn.

Middle school

At the beginning of the year, staff from a middle school explored how trauma impacts the lives of students. Using the lens of trauma, staff review school and classroom policies and procedures to ensure they are using the most supportive practices.

High School

A high school is using a student advisory model to ensure every student has at least one supportive adult in the school.

A group of teachers and leaders are also reviewing school practices to ensure they align with trauma-informed practice. Time at monthly staff meetings has been set aside to share and discuss strategies for creating a more supportive learning environment.

Resources

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English French-language content for this topic on Alberta.ca is currently being developed. Information will remain available on the Alberta Education website until this is complete. Français La page correspondante en français est en cours de préparation sur le site Web Alberta.ca. Pendant cette période de transition, l'information qu'elle contient demeure disponible sur le site Web du ministère de l'Éducation.

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by Angela Watson

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Truth For Teachers - A crash course on trauma-informed teaching

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This week on the Truth for Teachers podcast, I'm giving you an overview of and a solid foundation for understanding trauma-informed teaching practices. You'll learn ways that trauma impacts students and what we can do to support kids without carrying the weight of that trauma ourselves.

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3 Trauma-Informed Practices Backed by Science

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3 Trauma-Informed Practices Backed by Science

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from Edutopia

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3 Trauma-Informed Practices Backed by Science

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California surgeon general, pediatrician, and author Dr. Nadine Burke Harris on the science behind relationships, school discipline, and mindfulness.

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by Dr. Meredith Fox

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Trauma Informed Teaching | Dr. Meredith Fox | TEDxFieldstoneDriveED

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Essential Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies for Managing Stress in the Classroom (and Virtual Classrooms)

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Essential Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies for Managing Stress in the Classroom (and Virtual Classrooms)

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from the Resilient Educator

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What is trauma?

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), child trauma is when a child witnesses or is involved in an event and, as a result, feels intensely threatened. A traumatic event or situation exceeds an individual's ability to cope. Several types of psychological or physical trauma can lead to extreme distress. Sources of trauma can include (but are not limited to) bullying, natural disasters, and sexual abuse. The National Survey of Children's Health states that 35 million children in the United States have experienced one or more types of childhood trauma.

One way to consider trauma is as a continuum in frequency and severity, from a single event to multiple events occurring over and over again. The three types of traumas are acute, chronic, and complex. Acute trauma occurs as an isolated event, such as a severe accident, medical procedure, or being a victim of a crime. Chronic trauma is when stressful or threatening events are experienced repeatedly, such as domestic violence. Complex trauma results from multiple and ongoing traumatic events such as abuse or neglect, living with alcoholism or substance abuse, and suffering from financial, food, and/or housing instability.

Impacts of trauma

Trauma has both short and long-term effects on a child's brain and body. Reactions to acute trauma may include shaking, crying, or being easily startled. It may be easier to see and understand a child's response to an acute traumatic event because it happens immediately, and one can grasp the reason why the child is distressed.

Chronic and complex trauma can be more challenging to detect in the classroom. A child may appear to be reacting to the situation at hand, but in reality they've been triggered by something else. Trauma can affect the body and brain in the following ways:

Body development: Trauma can lead to living in a near-constant state of extreme stress or fear. This heightened stress response means the child or adolescent can seemingly overreact emotionally, behaviorally, and/or physically to something that another child may not consider stressful. Children who have been traumatized may also over-respond to stimuli and be extremely sensitive to light and sounds.

Brain development: Trauma often leads to difficulties with language, communication, and processing new information. Reasoning skills are often delayed because of trauma as well.

Emotions: Emotional struggles are common with a trauma history. Children or teens may have difficulties expressing and managing their emotions, quickly exploding and struggling to calm down once upset.

Behavior: Trauma affects the ability to develop healthy attachments and relationships. Distrust, manipulation, argumentative behavior, and impulsivity can be common in youth who have been traumatized.

The trauma-informed approach

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that approximately one in every four children will experience a traumatic event before the age of 16. This means each classroom could have multiple children struggling to deal with various traumas. To create a trauma-sensitive school, where every classroom is safe, healthy, engaging, and challenging for each student, educators must incorporate a trauma-informed approach. This involves first learning about trauma and how it affects children's behaviors, learning, and relationships. Then educators set about intentionally creating an atmosphere that supports each student, demonstrates empathy, and teaches resilience.

What is being trauma-informed?

First and foremost, being trauma-informed means that one has a level of understanding about trauma and its impacts on an individual's brain, body, emotions, and behavior. It is a commitment to learning more about trauma and viewing the individual as a person and not their behavior. Without being trauma-informed, a teacher may misinterpret a child or teen's behavior in the classroom. Being trauma-informed recognizes that the undesirable behaviors are attempts to soothe emotional dysregulation, and this is often done unconsciously on the part of the trauma-impacted individual. It shifts the question from "What is wrong with this child?" to "What has happened to this child?"

Having a trauma-informed lens

A trauma-informed lens is a perspective of how the instructor views the child and the classroom. With a trauma-informed perspective, a teacher can consider alternatives as to why a student might be acting in a certain way, and the teacher can respond in a way that will not cause additional trauma to the child.

Guiding principles of trauma-informed care

SAMHSA released a report containing the six guiding principles of trauma-informed care. Both in-person and virtual classrooms can apply these guiding principles. These principles include:

1. Safety: Throughout the school and in each classroom, all people (administration, staff, and students) need to feel physically and psychologically safe.

2. Trustworthiness and transparency: Decisions are made and implemented with the primary goal of building and maintaining trust between administration, staff, students, and their families.

3. Peer support and mutual self-help: An atmosphere of support is key to building trust and empowerment and in establishing safety.

4. Collaboration and mutuality: Everyone-administration, staff, and teachers-has an essential role in developing a trauma-sensitive school. This responsibility is not just for those in therapeutic positions; instead, everyone must do the work to create a trauma-informed workplace.

5. Empowerment, voice, and choice - everyone in the school strives to empower others and recognizes that each student is unique, and both require and deserve an individualized approach. For example, when emotionally dysregulated, a student may be asked what they need to feel better. Providing the student an opportunity to use their voice and select what they want or need empowers the child or teen to recognize what they need, express those needs, and feel calm and heard when those needs are met.

6. Cultural, historical, and gender issues - Ignoring stereotypes and biases and ensuring that both teaching and other interactions with students and staff are culturally sensitive and responsive is a crucial part of trauma-informed schools.

One must note that these elements of trauma-informed care are not merely a one-time task to be checked off of a list. Instead, a true trauma-informed approach is a series of ongoing, deliberate interactions that put the child as an individual at the forefront and not the exhibited behavior.

Trauma-informed best practices in the classroom

Studies have shown that classrooms can implement several best practices to maximize the support that students need. These evidence-based trauma interventions include:

Recognize the signs of trauma

Signs of trauma in the classroom may include a child having difficulty focusing, struggling with creating and maintaining friendships, being overly tired, and/or having poor self-regulation. Students with excessive absences, changes in their school performance, and withdrawing from activities or others may also be signs that a child has been affected by trauma.

Provide consistency and structure

Daily schedules should be structured and contain elements of academics, entertainment or play, and physical exercise or movement. Also, weaving in aspects of self-regulation skill building such as breathing exercises, mindfulness and journaling can be quite helpful so that students can learn to develop these skills and implement them on their own as needed. Consistency is key to helping a child feel secure.

Providing an overview each day of the schedule and lessons for the day can also reduce anxiety for those children and teens who may become easily distracted, wondering or fearing what might come next. This quick and straightforward task may help return a bit of control to the child as they can mentally prepare for the day.

These tips also apply to virtual classrooms. Consistency and structure can also be provided by setting expectations and goals together as a class, define responsibilities, and regularly checking in with virtual students to see how they are faring.

Utilize social-emotional learning

Social-emotional learning, also called SEL, is the process through which students develop skills in critical areas. These areas include self-awareness, self-control, social awareness, interpersonal skills such as feeling and demonstrating empathy for others, effective listening and communication, and making responsible decisions. SEL skills are critical for student success in school, life, and future work.

Educators can teach these skills in various ways, including modeling behavior, using specially designed SEL curriculum materials, and in their classroom management practices. In addition to specific counseling activities to teach social-emotional learning, these skills can often be introduced in the midst of everyday learning:

When reading a story to the class, discuss how characters might think or feel.

Assigning responsibilities and tasks to each student builds a sense of self-worth.

Starting the day with an affirmation can set the tone for a positive learning environment as it encourages positive self-talk and promotes a growth mindset.

Teaching mindfulness activities such as breathing can be done in conjunction with "brain breaks" in between lessons.

Journal exercises help students identify and express their feelings or opinions, and group discussions can promote healthy and respectful disagreements.

Social-Emotional Learning Circles help promote community discussions and respectful, reflective listening.

Use restorative practices over zero-tolerance policies

Trauma-informed programs realize that zero-tolerance policies are ineffective and harmful. Zero-tolerance policies focus on the offense and are rooted in punishment. The child or teen is punished for committing an infraction with detention, suspension, or expulsion. It removes the student from the classroom environment but does not consider the student as an individual and what might have led to the misbehavior. Zero-tolerance policies disproportionately affect students of color, perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline, and do not provide the support or services the struggling student needs to achieve.

Rather than a single technique or tactic, restorative justice is a paradigm shift in how schools consider discipline and how students who break the rules are perceived and addressed. The goal is to create a new disciplinary system that is highly supportive while also being highly controlled. This system is rooted in respect, healing, empathy, and accountability. Restorative practices seek to do just that - restore relationships and environments. Instead of focusing on punishing the offending student, the focus shifts to repairing relationships between the offending student and the victim or repairing physical damage that may have occurred.

Restorative practices use support systems, including talking circles and peer juries, to create an environment where the student can hear how their actions affected the other party, and the offending student can respond. This approach humanizes both parties and encourages keeping the misbehaving student in the fold rather than excluding them from the school community. It also allows the student to be involved in finding a way to make amends instead of having a punishment doled out upon them. Restorative practices rebuild a traumatized student's relationships with authority figures, reform their belief in fairness, and build their capacity for conducting themselves with integrity.

Research shows that school-wide use of restorative practices has long-term, positive impacts on student behavior, attendance, and achievement. Drop-out and truancy rates decline, and students report being happier while in school. Utilizing this trauma-informed positive behavior support can create an entirely different school environment, especially for students affected by trauma.

Implement a trauma-informed pedagogy

Trauma-informed pedagogy is the practice that keeps trauma and how it affects learners at the forefront when designing and implementing teaching strategies. For instance, during this time of uncertainty and social isolation with the COVID 19 pandemic, educators can recognize that these stressors may compound upon existing trauma and lead to students having a more challenging time completing even basic tasks, being motivated, and engaging with other students.

A trauma-informed pedagogy also provides content warnings before discussing potentially triggering topics. The educator also prepares themselves in advance on how to respond if a student is triggered. It allows students to opt-out of participating in these discussions and reassures students that they can opt-out without any penalties. Trauma-informed pedagogy also describes and teaches grounding techniques for students who may feel overwhelmed. These types of practices help to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.

Teacher self-care while being trauma-informed

In order to create a supportive, trauma-informed classroom, it is imperative that instructors not only identify and deal with their own trauma but also regularly engage in self-care. Self-care techniques can vary based on the educator's preferences, but examples include exercise, traveling, reading, meditation, yoga, seeing a therapist, and participating in creative or artistic pursuits, such as dancing or painting.

Secondary traumatic stress

Failure to prioritize self-care can lead to burnout or secondary traumatic stress. This is significant stress that develops as a result of caring for others with a history of trauma. Hearing about various traumas each day can weigh on an educator, resulting in both physical and mental difficulties that can severely interfere with one's life.

Warning signs of secondary traumatic stress include:

Difficulties sleeping/having nightmares

Excessive fatigue

Physical aches and pains

Lack of motivation and/or decreased productivity

Difficulties concentrating

Isolation - avoiding people or activities that once brought joy

Feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, or anger

Secondary traumatic stress is not a permanent condition. Prioritizing self-care, talking to supportive family, friends, and professionals, and finding healthy outlets to relieve the stress can all help. In time, these difficulties can resolve, allowing for a clear and healthy mindset ready to support and encourage hurting students.

Professional development and training

Training is necessary in order to develop a trauma-informed classroom. Professional development training is a perfect opportunity to learn about trauma and examine ways to build a supportive environment and trauma-informed communication skills.

Trauma-informed professional development and training topics

Trauma-informed training for teachers can include a variety of topics surrounding trauma, including:

The different types of trauma

How trauma affects a child's development

Ways trauma can manifest in student's actions in the classroom

How to and how not to respond to undesirable behaviors

Developing a trauma-sensitive classroom

Developing a trauma-informed lens and teaching pedagogy

School-wide techniques and programs that can be implemented to be responsive to both student and staff stress and trauma

For those who want to become even more well-versed in recognizing and managing trauma-based challenging behaviors in the classroom, options exist for both post-graduate certificates and even a degree in trauma-informed teaching. Spending time learning as much as possible about trauma and how to best support traumatized children in the classroom can have positive and lasting results on both students and the educator.

Resources

Building a Trauma-Informed, Compassionate Classroom: Strategies & Activities to Reduce Challenging Behavior, Improve Learning Outcomes, and Increase Student Engagement by Jennifer Bashant

Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom - by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall

Hacking School Discipline: 9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy and Responsibility using Restorative Justice - by Nathan Maynard and Brad Weinstein

Berry, M. (2018). Restoring American education: An end to zero-tolerance policies through restorative justice. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/cap_thes_all/315

Byer, L. (2016). Restorative practices in the school setting: A systematic review. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/msw_papers/564

SAMSHSA. (2014). SAMSHA's concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. Retrieved from https://youth.gov/feature-article/samhsas-concept-trauma-and-guidance-trauma-informed-approach

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Trauma-Informed Teaching Tips for Classroom & Online Educators | Resilient Educator

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Trauma-informed teaching incorporates the understanding of trauma and its impacts on a student's brain, body, emotions, and behavior. Learn strategies, pedagogy, and self-care in relation to the trauma-informed approach.

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It’s Not What’s Wrong With the Children, It’s What’s Happened to Them

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It’s Not What’s Wrong With the Children, It’s What’s Happened to Them

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from Edutopia

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Jennifer Ng'andu

Working to promote the social and emotional wellbeing of all children and families and to mitigate the effects of violence and trauma.

It has been said to me many times that it's the child who is acting out that needs you the most. And yet, all too often, the systems that are most likely to deal with young people in crisis do more damage than good.

A recent report from the Juvenile Law Center on how to improve outcomes for young people in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems underscores this point. The report, which was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), points out that the juvenile justice system relies heavily on a strategy of harsh punishment when its real goal should be helping and healing young people who are struggling.

When young people have behavioral challenges, the system usually asks, "What is wrong with this child, and how do we stop it?" Instead, they ought to be asking, "What happened to this child, and how do we help them?"

We see the same problems in our education system as well. For example, children who are exposed to traumatic events in early childhood are more likely to act out in school. Preschools all too often respond to that behavior by suspending or expelling children. Children of color are especially vulnerable to harsh discipline. Consider recent data (PDF, 2.1MB) from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which shows that children of color are far more likely to be suspended or permanently expelled from preschool. For example, black children account for 18 percent of the preschool population, but represent 48 percent of suspensions.

These preschool suspensions are particularly troubling because of how they might shape a child's future pathway. A suspension may or may not change a child's behavior, but what is certain is that it provides the first touch of punishment that may latch on and follow that child throughout his or her education and life experiences.

Reasons for Hope

I recently went to Baltimore to learn about some of the innovative ways in which community leaders are trying to replace harsh punishment with caring support. I had the chance to sit down with third-party, school-based mediators at the Center for Dispute Resolution at University of Maryland (C-DRUM). Based at the School of Law, C-DRUM addresses school truancy and discipline cases in communities where families are under high degrees of stress, especially from economic hardship and community violence. C-DRUM's legal mediators help school-aged students and families work with educators to address the issues at hand and get the kids back into the classroom.

When the C-DRUM mediators ask what happened to these children to keep them from coming to school or prompt them to act out in class, they often find that the problem is health-related. Children with untreated asthma often act out and get sent to the principal instead of the nurse. Children living in inadequate housing with problems such as mold and insects might miss school because they are chronically sick. When parents themselves have poor health at home, children are often sidelined or unable to complete assignments because of their role as part-time caretakers.

Once C-DRUM is able to discover what is happening, it's easier to find solutions that help a child to get back to school and back on track. For the majority of communities without such an important resource, we can easily imagine how thousands and thousands of children fall further behind or drop out permanently.

Alternatives and Solutions

So what other alternatives are we seeing in the community? How can we implement practical solutions that move us from a policy of zero tolerance to a practice of nurturing resilience? RWJF funds several school-based programs working to address the cycle of trauma and discipline, a few of which are listed below. I hope they inspire new thinking about ways for communities to create alternate pathways for youth who are challenged with various adversities.

Trauma Smart

Trauma Smart is an early-childhood trauma intervention model that addresses the effects of complex trauma -- such as community and family violence, poverty, illness, and homelessness -- for preschool-age children, their families, and the Head Start teachers who care for them.

System of Care

Clayton County (Georgia) Juvenile Court has a program called System of Care, which partners with local schools and law enforcement to find ways of disciplining young people while keeping them in school and out of the juvenile justice system. Since 2004, the program has reduced school arrests by 83 percent and gained national attention as a promising model.

The Safe Schools Consortium

The Safe Schools Consortium is a multi-stakeholder collaborative in Chicago that works to keep kids in school and promote safe school climates for all students. Specifically, they are working to help schools replace harsh disciplinary policies, which lead to high levels of suspensions and expulsions, with a commonsense approach that allows young people to take responsibility and learn from their mistakes while they are in school.

All of us must to work together to replace cycles of trauma and punishment if we hope to build a culture of health and learning. As long as our first instinct is punishment instead of healing, we will lose kids before they ever have the opportunity to find their own potential. There are solutions out there. I have shared a few, and I encourage you to share your own examples as well in the comments below. At home and in school, we want our kids to be curious. We encourage them to ask "why." As grownups, we should expect the same of ourselves.

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"It's Not What's Wrong With the Children, It's What's Happened to Them"

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Jennifer Ng'andu Working to promote the social and emotional wellbeing of all children and families and to mitigate the effects of violence and trauma. It has been said to me many times that it's the child who is acting out that needs you the most.

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Resources for Responding to Trauma and Tragedy

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Resources for Responding to Trauma and Tragedy

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from Edutopia

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Guidance for supporting students who have experienced trauma or grief and for coping with violence and disasters.

©Shutterstock.com/wavebreakmedia

Understanding Trauma's Effects on Learning

Childhood Trauma and Positive Health: Learn about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how they can impact a child's developing brain and are linked to high-risk behaviors, chronic diseases, and negative health outcomes in adulthood. (The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, 2017)

How Trauma Is Changing Children's Brains: Explore the latest research on the effects trauma has on young people's brains, and learn strategies you can use to make your classroom feel safer. (NEA Today, 2016)

Responding to Trauma in Your Classroom: Examine the signs and causes of student trauma, and explore strategies for responding to and supporting students who are experiencing trauma. (Teaching Tolerance, 2016)

How Teachers Help Students Who've Survived Trauma: Read about how experiences with trauma impact student learning, and review several expert suggestions on ways that educators and schools can help. (The Atlantic, 2014)

Helping Kids Recover From Trauma: Discover how resilience can be fostered by supportive factors in schools, and read takeaways from research. (Edutopia, 2009)

Helping Students Who Have Experienced Trauma

Brains in Pain Cannot Learn: Learn three ways to calm the stress response in students affected by anxiety or depression. (Edutopia, 2016)

5 Ways to Help Students in Trauma: Read strategies and tips for creating a calming classroom environment that can help troubled students learn. (Edutopia, 2016)

Helping Students Who Have Experienced Trauma: Explore seven strategies you can use in your classroom to help support and empower students in trauma. (Edutopia, 2016)

How Not to Be a Mountain Troll: Take a look at four strategies that educators can use to build trust with students, especially vulnerable students who may have experienced abuse from adults. (ASCD's Educational Leadership, 2015)

Emotional Recovery Begins With Teachers: Examine five RULER-based suggestions (recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotions) for helping adults and children cope with the aftermath of school violence or other experiences with trauma. (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)

Activities to Help Students Cope With Traumatic Experiences: Discover games, videos, and other activities to help children endure traumatic experiences. (Sesame Street in Communities)

School-Wide Approaches to Addressing Trauma

Trauma-Informed Practices Benefit All Students: Learn how utilizing school-wide trauma-informed practices can benefit the entire school community, including helping all students learn coping skills and self-efficacy. (Edutopia, 2017)

How Schools Are Helping Traumatized Students Learn Again: Discover best practices, strategies, and tips your school can employ to foster safe, calming, and supportive learning spaces. (NEA Today, 2016)

Student Trauma: How School Leaders Can Respond: Explore the latest proven strategies that can help your school make a difference in the lives of students. This guide includes a rich collection of additional resources. (Education Week, 2016)

It's Not What's Wrong With the Children, It's What's Happened to Them: Find a list of school-based alternatives to zero-tolerance policies that can help nurture resilience in youths who have experienced adversity. (Edutopia, 2015)

A Guide to Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools: Understand the causes of trauma, discover how trauma manifests in schools, and learn about a framework that can help educators develop trauma-sensitive schools. (Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative/Massachusetts Advocates for Children, 2013)

Strategies for Coping With Violence and Disaster

Helping Students Cope in a Violent World: Explore 10 useful and practical strategies for discussing violence in the classroom, fostering student coping skills, and helping students make sense of violence. (Edutopia, 2016)

Tips for Resilience in the Face of Horror: Learn how educators and parents can help protect children and themselves from the effects of vicarious trauma. The linked article "Resources for Helping Children Cope with Trauma" is also worth reading. (Greater Good, 2013)

Talking to Your Children About Tragedy: Watch a video that describes relevant principles parents can consider in relation to young children and personal or family reactions to traumatic events. Though the introduction to the video is focused on Boston, the principles discussed can be applied to a wide variety of situations. (Bright Horizons, 2013)

Mr Rogers Talks About Tragic Events: Watch an episode featuring Fred Rogers speaking about how to cope with violence in the world-his advice is still relevant today. (The Fred Rogers Company, 2018)

Supporting Grieving Students

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Resources for Responding to Trauma and Tragedy

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Guidance for supporting students who have experienced trauma or grief and for coping with violence and disasters. ©Shutterstock.com/wavebreakmedia Childhood Trauma and Positive Health: Learn about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how they can impact a child's developing brain and are linked to high-risk behaviors, chronic diseases, and negative health outcomes in adulthood.

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from TDSB

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Childhood Trauma: Expert Answers to Tough Questions From Real Teachers

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Childhood Trauma: Expert Answers to Tough Questions From Real Teachers

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from WeAreTeachers

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When kids in our classrooms are hurting from traumatic experiences like divorce, bullying, and abuse, we want to help-but it can be hard to know just what to say or do. We collected real questions from teachers in our Facebook community about these tough situations and asked trauma expert Dr. Caelan Soma, chief clinical officer and senior trainer at Starr Commonwealth, a nonprofit organization that provides schools with resources to help children experiencing trauma, to share her best advice.

Q: "How can I help my first grade student whose family is going through a really difficult divorce? I am seeing regression in my student and a lot of anxiety around pickup and drop-off, and I want to approach her parents in a useful and non-confrontational way."

A: Divorce is tough on students when they're at home and at school, and your student is lucky to have a teacher who recognizes that and wants to help. Let the parents know you are noticing changes. Don't bring up the divorce. Focus on the child and what you are seeing in class. If they tell you about the divorce, you are in the know, but don't speculate. This will make the parent feel defensive and view you as placing blame rather than trying to help. Instead, ask them what behavior they're seeing at home. Ask if there is anything you can do. The child will benefit most from consistency and routine in the classroom. Try to give your student ways to calm down on a sensory level-like breathing or stretching-to work through anxiety she may be feeling from home. While it may be frustrating that you can't control what happens when your student leaves your classroom, you can feel good about the fact that the strategies you teach your student to use at school can translate to help her deal with the stress she experiences at home too.

Q: "How can I support my sixth grader whose grandmother just died? They were very close, and he just can't seem to focus in class and is so withdrawn that I'm worried about him. How should I react? At what point do I contact a counselor or call a parent?"

A: Teachers are such caring individuals, and it's so hard when they have constant worries about one of their students. While it may look like an oppositional behavior, your student may just need time to heal and to know you understand. You can normalize the reaction by telling your student, "I get it. It's hard to pay attention. It's going to come out of nowhere and you're going to feel sad." Give your student the OK to tell you if he needs to get a drink or put his head down during the day. Let his parents know about the changes and tell them you will keep in touch to update them on how things are improving or not. A school counselor may be helpful, but you don't need to move to an intervention until the normal grief response period of six to eight weeks has passed. Generally, with emotional support at home and at school, a grieving child's heart will heal significantly during that time period.

Q: "How can I help a second grader in my class who comes in from recess most days on the verge of tears because of bullying on the playground? I've not seen it in my classroom, and he hasn't confided in me."

A: Thank you for keeping your eyes and ears open to potential bullying in your school. It's best to address the problem head-on. Ask the student and others, such as the recess monitor, what is happening. Link the student with a peer buddy and an adult he feels safe going to or giving a signal to when he is not having a good day. The code can be a wink or a silly word to alert someone he needs support. Bullying doesn't have to be violent. It can be a look or a whisper. While it might not seem traumatic to adults, peers are the center of kids' lives, and if they aren't accepting of them, that's traumatic. Intervene before the situation spirals into something that's out of control, and you'll be able to help your student on the road to happier days at school.

Q: "We had a 14-year-old girl in our school commit suicide, and everyone is in shock. How can I help my students get through this? This is the second suicide of a young girl this year."

A: It can be very upsetting for both teachers and students when a student commits suicide. There is a lot of concern that talking about suicide and how it happened will lead to "contagion"-making other kids do it-but there is no research to back up that worry. For many kids, it's the opposite, and for them, it's better to talk about the situation. But remember, reactions vary. The event will be very upsetting to some of your students and not to others. We have to respect all symptoms and reactions. There is a continuum and everyone is going to be on a different page. Schools can offer an outlet for kids who are having the hardest time to come together to process the event, but no one should be required to talk about it. Make it optional. It's best, too, that memorials-for any death-take place outside of school for the same reason. Students should have the choice to participate. It has nothing to do with disrespecting the family or not caring, but it has everything to do with respecting everybody else. When you respect and honor each student's individual reactions, you help create a supportive environment that allows everyone to process and heal in his or her own way.

Q: "I have a fifth grader who has been placed in three different foster homes in the past year. What can I do to help him stay on track? His home life is so unstable, and I can see it's affecting him at school too."

A: It's really hard for a teacher to see a student bounced around from foster home to foster home. The best thing you can do is to be the constant, stable person in your student's world-and sometimes that's enough. You don't have control of what goes on outside your classroom. To have one consistent, caring adult in the life of a child-even if it's not a caregiver or a parent-is one of the most beneficial characteristics of building resilience.

Q: "I'm having trouble connecting with one of my third graders whose family is homeless and lacks support at home. What can I do? Her mother is so overwhelmed that she basically told me she didn't have energy to help her daughter or care how she is doing in school. I want to engage and motivate my student, but the mom's attitude is rubbing off on my student."

A: When parents aren't emotionally available to support the positive things happening in the classroom, it can be really frustrating for teachers. It usually helps to shift the lens away from what you think is wrong with the mom to look at what's happening in her world. The mom is in crisis and survival mode. Likely, she does care, but her priority is finding a place to live. Find a time to talk to her informally and briefly-no need for a big meeting, which could make her feel uncomfortable and defensive. Reframe the experience, rather than putting the blame on the mom. Tell her you know it's a tough time and validate her feelings. Say to her, "I know you care. You just have so much going on now, but your daughter needs you to tell her you care and school is important." Then ask how you can help. Separately, tell your student that you understand her mom is working hard, and it might not seem like she cares, but she really does-and so do you. Ask her how you can help. You may need to modify homework expectations or set up a peer support person to help her with assignments. The support and understanding you give to the parent and the student will help everyone connect and motivate your student to succeed.

Q: "I'm in my second year teaching middle school, and both years I've had a student in my class find out she's pregnant. How can I support these girls? What do they need to hear from me? It's such a sensitive situation."

A: Teen pregnancy can be an overwhelming experience for these girls, but having a teacher like you who cares about their education can be invaluable. Treat the girls who are pregnant like the rest of the girls in the class. Do acknowledge that they are pregnant, but don't make a big deal about it. Be proud of them for coming to class. When they know their teacher thinks it's brave for them to stay in school, they'll be more likely to keep coming to class.

Q: "How do I make school a safe place when I teach in one of the most dangerous cities in the country? It seems like there's not a week that goes by when the students aren't telling me about a stabbing or drive-by shooting. How do I help my students cope with ongoing news of student deaths as the result of violence and gang activity? What can I do to create a safe environment for them at school?"

A: It's so tough for caring teachers to know they can't control what's happening to their students outside the classroom. The best thing you can do is be consistent inside your classroom. Have routines and try to connect with students. You may hear students say, "What's the point?" Engage them in activities that allow them to feel some sense of hope-even if it's just talking about activities in the near future that they are looking forward to doing. Allow for movement and physical-activity breaks in the classroom, so they can have some fun. Encourage them to seek out safe places, and become an advocate for after-school programs, clubs, and equipment in the parks. Your encouragement and effort will go a long way in helping them stay away from situations that may put them in harm's way.

Q: "How can I support a high school student whose mother has terminal cancer and is in hospice care? What is the right thing to say to him? How can I accommodate him?"

A: Your student is lucky to have a compassionate teacher who wants to say the right thing. You can let the student know you understand his mom is sick and you are available to talk. Ask if there is someone to support him at home. Sometimes all the focus shifts to the sick person, but others in the family suffer and there is some unintentional neglect. Pay attention to changes in academics or behavior and make an accommodation if needed. Your caring support will be a bright light for this student during a very difficult and sad time in his life.

Q: "A 10th grade girl in my class was physically abused by her dad. How do I balance her need for support with the comfort level of her classmates? She's been sharing a lot of details with other kids in class, and I can see it's making them feel uncomfortable. I want to support her, but I also want to help her understand when it is appropriate to share."

A: This type of situation can leave teachers feeling torn: You want to help the student who is suffering, but you also want to make sure the other students are comfortable in your classroom. It's best to be direct. You want to protect the girl who was abused, but you also need to protect the other kids. Take her aside discretely and let her know it's appropriate to share with a very close friend who desires to listen, a teacher or counselor, but it is not appropriate to share with everyone. When other students hear the details, they may perceive it can possibly happen to them, which can cause post-traumatic stress reactions in those students too. It doesn't have to actually happen to them for it to worry them. If other kids are complaining, let them know they can come to you if she shares too much with them. They have a right not to be exposed to the discussion. Even though this may feel like a difficult conversation to have with a student, it will help her-as well as the rest of your class-feel safe and supported.

Q: "I have a second grader who was sexually abused by her uncle, and I fear for her safety. What should I do? She tells me her family still sees him-even at their house, and I'm worried about the situation."

A: Thank you for being concerned and asking this important question. You should contact a school social worker and the principal. If you know this information, you are a mandated reporter. If the child is at risk of harm, you need to report it to be investigated. That's a serious situation, and you can help your student greatly if you get the appropriate people involved as soon as possible.

Q: "How do I handle one of my special ed students in ninth grade with behavioral difficulties who had a close friend who was murdered? He's sharing some pretty intense emotions in class, and I can't imagine how difficult it must be for him to process."

A: Especially when teachers are working with special education students, it can be hard to know when to draw the line. The classroom isn't the best place for the student to share the details of what happened. Sometimes we see acting-out behavior as that becomes the only way the student is able to communicate their anger and frustration. But if the child is risking his safety or the safety of others, he should not be in the classroom. If it's to that level, it's escalated and it's too much. In that case, the student definitely needs to be linked with a professional and removed from the classroom if safety is an issue. To best help this child, you should follow your school's protocol for handling the behavior.

Q: "What should I do to work through my fourth graders' grief over a student in our school who was killed in a car accident recently? Many of my students have never known anyone who died-let alone someone their own age."

A: When tragedy strikes a community, it can affect the children in your classroom, and it can be tough on teachers too. People are often really curious to know the details. By giving the facts, you can reduce the rumor mill. It's important for some brief notification to go out from the superintendent or principal that tells the community what happened-only to the point the family approves. Some kids will have more questions than others, and it's best to answer to their level of curiosity. These events can sometimes make people feel helpless, and they want to do something to respond. Ask students if they'd like to make cards for the family to send their condolences, which is a compassionate way to support the family and help your students positively express their emotions.

Q: "Our community just experienced a tornado. How can I help my students get through this rough time and feel secure again? Many of my students are struggling in temporary housing. Others are scared whenever the sky looks threatening."

A: When an event such as a natural disaster occurs and is so widespread that it affects the entire community, sometimes there can be a long period of transition where people are out of sorts. Acknowledge to your class that things are not like they were and it may be rocky. As people rebuild or another storm comes, memories can resurface along with feelings of stress. Natural disasters are so difficult because they affect so many people and they are unknown. It can lead to a chronic state of stress that may last up to a year as the family resettles, but your constant caring and support will make this time a lot easier on your students.

Bottom-Line Message
As teachers, we want to do whatever we can to help our students who are suffering. "Many times, however, the situations your students experience are so complicated, the best thing you can do is be there to listen," says Soma. She adds, "Caring can be more powerful than any academic lesson and may be just what a child in trauma needs most."

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Childhood Trauma: Expert Answers to Tough Questions From Real Teachers

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When kids in our classrooms are hurting from traumatic experiences like divorce, bullying, and abuse, we want to help-but it can be hard to know just what to say or do.

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Changing your organizational trauma lens through Creating PRESENCE

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Changing your organizational trauma lens through Creating PRESENCE

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Hello, you are using an old browser that's unsafe and no longer supported. Please consider updating your browser to a newer version, or downloading a modern browser.

Skip to Main Content

Changing your organizational trauma lens through Creating PRESENCE

Clients who are exhibiting behaviors are often labeled or diagnosed without an understanding that many social disorders are a result of adversity and past traumatic events.

These symptoms can best be understood with a trauma lens that recognizes the complex impact of trauma and other forms of adversity on the brain.

Helping trauma-impacted children and adults is a difficult job that has secondary traumatic effects on staff which can lead to high staff turnover. A systematic trauma lens can help staff have greater confidence in their effectiveness with their clients and provides them with personal tools for self-care.

Strengthens your organization

Organizations that care for trauma-impacted individuals are often overwhelmed, under-resourced, and extremely stressed. Like any other living organism, organizations need to preserve its own existence. That requires policies, practices, and internal processes that promote trauma-resilience and inspires the mission and vision of the organization.

Description of the
PRESENCE Model

What is Creating PRESENCE?

Creating PRESENCE is a new online organizational and clinical approach for creating trauma-informed, trauma-responsive and trauma-resilient organizations.

The objectives of Creating PRESENCE

The PRESENCE Model provides everyone in an organization with some basic knowledge about trauma, adversity and stress and advances the emergence of trauma-informed values, knowledge, practice and skills.

The unique benefits of the PRESENCE Model

It is cost-effective, it gives control of the process to your organization, and there is self-help available by trained PRESENCE coaches. The success will be determined by the extent of the organizational commitment and alignment.

PRESENCE is an acronym for linked guiding values that consistently undergird and inform practice:
Partnership and Power, Reverence and Restoration, Emotional Wisdom and Empathy, Safety and Social Responsibility, Embodiment and Enactment, Nature and Nurture, Culture and Complexity, Emergence and Evolution.

The learned skills of PRESENCE

Each set of values is associated with a knowledge base and a set of universally applied tools that are designed in sequence to provide: brain regulation skills, communication tools, group engagement tools, and complexity management skills.

The PRESENCE Approach and Tracks

PRESENCE Implementation uses a hybrid approach, depending largely on distance learning and web-based consultation in order to make the adoption of this approach cost-effective. An Introductory Course will help get all staff on the same page.

Introduction to PRESENCE

This is the first video of a 5-part series. See parts 2-5 below.

How you create
PRESENCE

Contact your PRESENCE educational specialist. Getting in touch is as easy as filling out the form below!

Schedule a phone discovery interview during which time PRESENCE will conduct a needs assessment.

PRESENCE staff will create a proposal and contract for educational services based on your needs.

Upon execution of your contract and receipt of downpayment you will receive Your PRESENCE Toolkit. You can now Create PRESENCE!

FAQ

How long does the PRESENCE Program take to implement?

The minimum timeframe is 18 months for most organizations. In special situations or in larger organizations the process may be more involved and require more time.

Can my organization view the PRESENCE training without coaching and certification?

Yes if you wish your organization to be trauma-informed you can contract with us to take the on-line training only.

Can I take only one track of the on-line training?

Yes as long as you take the introductory track as well as the track you are interested in.

Can we request additional coaching sessions if needed?

Yes. We can custom design a coaching process according to the needs of your staff or organization.

Does PRESENCE offer a kick-off training and/or meeting that is in-person?

Yes. This can be added to your contract.

What is the cost of the PRESENCE Program?

The base model is $36,000 for the entire program which includes all videos, power points, handouts, and regular coaching sessions with a PRESENCE consultant.

What is the contact information if I want to engage the PRESENCE Program or want more information?

You can email us at [email protected] or call 215-583-3619.

Testimonials

Marymound is profoundly grateful to be a pilot site to implement Dr. Bloom's PRESENCE model. We understand that it is a deep organizational journey of learning and shifting practices.

Marymound has always strived to be trauma-informed. When we were given the opportunity to work with Dr. Bloom and Ms. Yanosy on piloting a new organizational model that went beyond trauma- informed care to becoming trauma-responsive and ultimately trauma-resilient, we jumped.

Other Publications from Dr. Bloom

A Trauma-Informed Psychoeducational Group Curriculum. S.E.L.F. represents the four nonlinear, key areas of recovery that provide an organizing framework for the complex problems presented by trauma survivors, by families with problems, and by chronically stressed organizations.

Purchase S.E.L.F. Curriculum

Our Clients

Marymound - Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada

Marymound provides care for children, youth and families who need support as they face the challenges of growing, learning and parenting. Through culturally diverse care in safe living environments, individual relationships, academic preparation, therapeutic intervention and advocacy, Marymound supports Manitoba children and their families to reach their fullest potential and independence.

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Hello, you are using an old browser that's unsafe and no longer supported. Please consider updating your browser to a newer version, or downloading a modern browser. Skip to Main Content Clients who are exhibiting behaviors are often labeled or diagnosed without an understanding that many social disorders are a result of adversity and past traumatic events.

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Intergenerational Trauma: What It Is & How to Heal

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Intergenerational Trauma: What It Is & How to Heal

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from Choosing Therapy

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Intergenerational Trauma: What It Is & How to Heal

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Intergenerational trauma—sometimes called transgenerational trauma—is a term that is used to describe the impact of a traumatic experience, not only on one generation, but on subsequent generations after the event. Intergenerational trauma is a term that is often not talked about, resulting in a las…

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from the Resilient Educator

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Many of the challenging behavior seen inside classrooms stem from stress or trauma in students' lives outside of school. Trauma, both physical and emotional, can alter a young person's brain functions, which impacts learning and behavior. Students don't need to stumble through emotional minefields. Let's give them a map using trauma-informed tools.

It's not only students dealing with stress - teachers feel the burden too. Heavy workloads, challenging behavior, and lack of support are just some of the issues today's teachers handle daily. It's very difficult for teachers to unplug but it's so important that they do. Long-term elevation of stress leads to mood killers and health issues. Educators can overcome burnout but they need the right tools.

Here's a collection of trauma-informed resources for managing stress at school. Learn about long-term self-care and ways to tackle challenging behavior caused by trauma.

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Trauma-Informed Practices in School: Teaching & Self-Care Resources | Resilient Educator

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Many of the challenging behavior seen inside classrooms stem from stress or trauma in students' lives outside of school. Trauma, both physical and emotional, can alter a young person's brain functions, which impacts learning and behavior. Students don't need to stumble through emotional minefields. Let's give them a map using trauma-informed tools.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL IMPACT OF TRAUMA: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

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PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL IMPACT OF TRAUMA: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

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from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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Describes the psychological and behavioral impact of trauma on high school students. This fact sheet, a part of the Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators, offers educators, school staff, and parents two short scenarios about the behaviors displayed by two high school students, as well as describes behaviors you might observe in adolescents after a trauma, situations that can be traumatic, and when to seek help.

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Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Trauma: High School Students

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Describes the psychological and behavioral impact of trauma on high school students. This fact sheet, a part of the Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators, offers educators, school staff, and parents two short scenarios about the behaviors displayed by two high school students, as well as describes behaviors you might observe in adolescents after a trauma, situations that can be traumatic, and when to seek help.

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from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

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Vol. 77

No. 2

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Small changes in classroom interactions can make a big difference for traumatized students.

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Credit: Shannon Fagan

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma, such as abuse, neglect, natural disaster, or experiencing or witnessing violence. Trauma is possibly the largest public health issue facing our children today (CDC, 2019). Traumatized students are especially prone to difficulty in self-regulation, negative thinking, being on high alert, difficulty trusting adults, and inappropriate social interactions (Lacoe, 2013; Terrasi & de Galarce, 2017). They often haven't learned to express emotions healthily and instead show their distress through aggression, avoidance, shutting down, or other off-putting behaviors. These actions can feel antagonistic to teachers who don't understand the root cause of the student's behavior, which can lead to misunderstandings, ineffective interventions, and missed learning time.

Neurobiologically, students can't learn if they don't feel safe, known, and cared for within their schools (Aupperle et al., 2012). When teachers are proactive and responsive to the needs of students suffering from traumatic stress and make small changes in the classroom that foster a feeling of safety, it makes a huge difference in their ability to learn. Here are some examples.

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

First, teachers must learn to put students' reactions into context-and not to take them personally. Students with trauma histories can react and behave in seemingly unexpected ways, such as having a sudden outburst during a favorite activity or crying out of the blue one second after laughing. Teachers may be taken by surprise. They say things like, "But he was fine this morning, I didn't see that coming!" or "She normally loves playing the drums in music class. I have no idea where her reaction came from." This uncertainty leaves the teacher in a constant state of hyper-alertness when interacting with the student. This in turn can result in fatigue, as the teacher is guarded and unable to predict what will happen from one moment to another.

One way to understand these reactions is to think of the student as a soda can, and events that may trigger their trauma stress as shaking that can. We can't tell by looking if the can was recently shaken, but if it was, opening the can results in an unexpected explosive, messy reaction. If a student is triggered and experiencing heightened emotion, even a benign direction such as, "Please move over to make room for Jenny" could result in an "explosion" that the teacher never saw coming. By using trauma-sensitive strategies in the classroom, we can help reduce the times our students are "shaken."

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

Traumatized students often behave in ways that may interfere with teaching and learning, which can be frustrating. Teachers are in a position of power, and these students may be overly defensive, anticipating adult criticism, or defiant, as a way to assert control (Jennings, 2018). Yet for traumatized students, the ability to learn and behave appropriately can be person-dependent. When they are with a safe and supportive adult, their behavior reflects that.

Consider this scenario drawn from schools I've worked with: Trevor, a 6th grader whose father overdosed on heroin two years ago and who has witnessed ongoing domestic abuse throughout his childhood, was in Ms. Carlton's class for part of the day and Ms. Finch's class for the other part. Ms. Carlton had a reputation of working well with hard-to-reach kids, and sure enough, Trevor behaved in a stellar way in her class. When he was with Ms. Finch, however, he was sent to the office nearly three times a week for explosive behavior.

The teacher is 50 percent of every interaction with a student: By changing the way we give a direction or respond, we can reduce problematic behavior. Ms. Carlton had taken the time to build a trusting relationship with Trevor and learned to give directions in a way that he would respond well to. Interaction strategies are a type of accommodation that typically go unnamed and unwritten, but they were the reason that Trevor could feel safe and access the curriculum (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012).

If Ms. Carlton had written down the successful strategies she used with Trevor, the list might have started with avoiding authoritative directives such as, "Pick that up." To give Trevor a sense of control, Ms. Carlton always embedded choice in her directions, asking, "Do you want to be in the front of the line or the back of the line?" instead of simply telling him to "line up." This helped prevent a poor reaction (Minahan, 2019).

Ms. Carlton also conveyed respect and transparency by providing the reason behind each direction. Instead of saying, "No backpacks on the floor. I don't want to trip and fall!" Ms. Carlton would say, "Oh dear, I hope I don't fall. I have a bad knee! Could you please move your backpack?" Stating the reason first assured that Trevor knew the context (and necessity) of the demand.

Conversely, Ms. Finch would often go up close to Trevor, tower over him, and say in front of his peers, "Stop tapping your pencil!" This typically ended in a power struggle and Trevor's escalating behavior. Trevor, like many traumatized students, had experienced a loss of control in his life, and power struggles with an authoritative figure were particularly triggering. Ms. Carlton instinctively knew that a more private nonverbal direction could be less confrontational for a student in "fight or flight" mode. She would write, "Please stop tapping" on a piece of paper, put it gently on Trevor's desk without his peers noticing, and then give him space by walking away quickly. When possible, she also gave Trevor extended time to comply with directions to avoid power struggles, asking, for example, "Can you please pick that up before lunch?" rather than, "Pick that up now" (Minahan, 2019). This allowed Trevor time to decompress and respond rationally.

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

At one point in the year, Ms. Carlton told Ms. Finch that building a relationship with Trevor was key to her success with him, and she suggested that Ms. Finch do the same. Unfortunately, saying, "Build a relationship" is too vague and leaves too much up to the teacher's instincts. Instead, Ms. Carlton could have told Ms. Finch that she greeted Trevor every day at the classroom door and asked him about the Avengers or basketball. She could have told Ms. Finch how she used the "two by ten" rule; she talked to him for two minutes a day for 10 days in a row about topics unrelated to academics or behavior. Whenever Ms. Carlton could see she wouldn't have time for this in the 10-day period, she asked the counselor or special education teacher to cover her class for two minutes so she could go for a walk with Trevor. She repeated this trust-building strategy several times throughout the year, especially after he exhibited anger or frustration and after school vacations and long weekends.

Ms. Carlton skillfully used relationship-building and interaction strategies to work with Trevor. Yet the impact could have been greater had she written and shared those strategies with Ms. Finch and the rest of Trevor's team via a shared document, behavior plan, or student success plan (Minahan, 2019). Likewise, if counselors, school nurses, and psychologists write and share such techniques with each classroom teacher, kids like Trevor, when triggered, wouldn't always have to leave class to find a safe adult.

Not knowing what is coming next can put anyone on high alert, especially traumatized students. Providing predictability through visual schedules of the class agenda or school day can help. Ms. Carlton was adamant about previewing any changes to the normal routine ahead of time (saying, "We are going to have indoor recess today because of the snow," or "The DVD player isn't working so we can't watch a science video at the end of class today"). This prepared Trevor and thus elicited a calmer response.

A teacher's behavior can also feel unpredictable to traumatized students. When students are working independently and quietly-doing what they are supposed to be doing-they don't know when they will get the teacher's attention. But when students are doing the wrong thing-like drumming on the desk with a pencil in each hand or swearing-teachers are more predictable and react quickly! Because predictability is comforting to students with anxiety and trauma histories, they may resort to getting the teacher's attention through inappropriate means. Trevor could get Ms. Finch to react immediately by flipping his water bottle noisily, but could go 20 minutes without so much as eye contact from her when he was quietly reading.

To counter this imbalance and create an overall feeling of safety, teachers can use predictable positive attention (Minahan, 2014). During independent work time, if a teacher says to a student "Great work! I'll be back to check on you," the student has no way of predicting how long they need to wait-and from past experience they know that the teacher may forget to return altogether. Using predictable positive attention, however, the teacher can say, "I am going to check on you in 10 minutes," put a timer on the student's desk, and add, "Come tap me on the shoulder when the timer goes off." If the teacher has many students in the class that could benefit from this, she could transfer the strategy to small groups: "I will check on this desk group at X time."

Another strategy for providing predictable attention, especially for middle and high school students, is to hand an anxious or traumatized student a sticky note with a time on it as they walk into class each day. The first time, the note will need to be explained: "If you don't understand something in class, please don't worry-I am going to check on you during independent work time at 11:45, and I will answer any questions you have then." Ms. Carlton found this strategy comforting to Trevor. This predictable check-in pairs the negative thoughts the student may have ("I don't know how to do this") with a reassuring thought ("But my teacher will be here in seven minutes!"). The student can better tolerate uncomfortable feelings when they know help and a positive interaction are coming. Telling the student what will happen and when and always following through establishes the teacher as a consistent, reliable adult.

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

Traumatized students often engage in inaccurate thinking, tending to focus on the negative. Common classroom management strategies often only exasperate this tendency. How many of us have seen frequent movement breaks on a student's IEP or student success plan? It is one of the most common accommodations that we offer to students who seem dysregulated. Unfortunately, during these breaks, students can ruminate on negative memories, current stressors, angry thoughts, or worries. If we ask a high school student who is getting angry and becoming agitated to take a walk, he may ruminate the whole time and return just as angry. Sending a 1st grader to a "calming chair" can leave her to perseverate on worrying thoughts. Instead, we need to help them "change the channel." Both Ms. Carlton and Ms. Finch used breaks with Trevor, but in vastly different ways.

When adults can't sleep, we often read a book or watch TV, which distracts us from uncomfortable thoughts so we can fall back asleep. Teachers can use the same principle for kids with trauma and anxiety: Teach students that their brain is like a remote control that they can use to "switch the channel" to help them calm down (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012). These switching activities are called cognitive distractions or thought breaks and are incompatible with negative thinking. A listening center or "find the picture" activity can be helpful to young children. For older students, you might try Mad Libs, trivia, or more abstract strategies such as counting all the green items in the room, saying the alphabet backwards, or thinking of the first 10 lines of a favorite movie. Ms. Carlton taught Trevor to do Star Wars trivia when he was upset, which helped him calm down quickly. Conversely when Ms. Finch had Trevor go for a walk, his negative thinking would escalate, and he would often not return to class.

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

Many traumatized students interpret information through a negativity amplifier. When a teacher says, "Please correct the first problem," the student might hear, "You are stupid." Or a student might report that the teacher screamed at her when the teacher was really using a calm tone, as even neutral facial expressions can be misinterpreted. It is helpful to smile and explicitly say when you are happy with the student, a strategy Ms. Carlton utilized. When giving negative feedback, teachers can use the positive sandwich approach-starting and ending with a positive comment: (1) "I love how you remembered the formula," (2) "You made a small calculation error there," (3) "Great job getting problem #3 correct."

7. Create Islands of Competence

Recognizing areas of strength in students is a powerful way to combat the poor self-concept and negative thinking associated with trauma (Jennings, 2018). To support a more accurate self-concept, teachers can provide what Robert Brooks calls "islands of competence" for students swimming in a sea of inadequacy (2003). When a student thinks negatively, the negative moments during the day tend to weigh more heavily than the positive moments. We need to counter this effect with positive experiences. Educator teams need to ask themselves, "Does the student feel competent during the day?" If the answer is no, contriving an island of competence for the student is in order. Ms. Carlton often asked Trevor to help a younger student or a peer who was struggling in an academic area Trevor was strong in, or had him fix the stapler when it was malfunctioning. She would also point out in a written note to Trevor that he was the first student to finish a math activity. In high school, educators may want to foster students' talents by never letting them drop electives (which might require creativity in scheduling academic support in core classes).

It is important that students experience competence to develop a more accurate self-narrative and to begin to create a positive future picture of themselves. We want them to say, "I really helped that student with her artwork. When I grow up, I could work with kids." Or "I am good at fixing things. I could be a mechanic someday."

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Behavior is communication, and we've looked at how traumatized students often communicate feelings through their behavior. Teachers' behavior is also communication-and it may not be communicating the message we are striving to send. Common teacher practices such as ignoring inappropriate behavior, sending students to the office, or sending younger kids to sit alone at a back table or in the hallway can unintentionally trigger students who have experienced abandonment or neglect. We need to remember that when some of our students were young and cried, no one came. Ignoring them can trigger a trauma response and make them feel the teacher doesn't like them or is even happy that they are upset.

Ms. Finch would ignore Trevor when he was expressing anger, such as by crumpling up a paper, growling, or slinging a book from his desk onto the floor. On the other hand, Ms. Carlton responded to such moments at the beginning of the year by validating Trevor's feelings ("I am sorry you are upset" or "I see that you are angry"). This is a much more empathetic approach, will preserve the relationship, and will avoid triggering a trauma response in the student.

Another practice to be cautious about is using time with a preferred adult as an incentive. For example, a principal might say, "If you get all your homework done this week, you and I will have lunch together!" The problem with this is that if the student doesn't get all their homework done, then the principal withholds their attention and time. This implies the relationship is conditional and can trigger an abandonment trauma response for some students. It is better to use one-to-one time with students in a noncontingent way. This way adults are communicating, "I like you for who you are," not "I like you when you behave the right way."

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Students can't learn unless they feel safe. When it comes to student trauma, there is much that is beyond educators' power, but there is also a great deal they can do to build a supportive and sensitive environment where students feel safe, comfortable, take risks, learn, and even heal.

Reflect & Discuss

➛ As Minahan writes, "Students can't learn if they don't feel safe." What small changes are you willing to try in your classroom to foster a sense of safety among traumatized students?

➛ Think about one of your students who struggles with behavior. How could you help him "switch the channel" when he is upset?

➛ Do you routinely share-and exchange ideas about-what's working with a traumatized student? How could you better improve lines of communication across the whole support team?

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Small changes in classroom interactions can make a big difference for traumatized students.

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from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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Provides school administrators, teachers, staff, and concerned parents with basic information about working with traumatized children in the school system.

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Trauma Informed Schools and Teachers Change Lives

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Trauma Informed Schools and Teachers Change Lives

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by Empowering Education

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Often, trauma is defined as a deeply disturbing event or experience, but what one person may consider "deeply disturbing" may be different for others. The common understanding of trauma fails to account for more subtle and insidious forms of trauma such as neglect, abandonment, and vicarious trauma.

Trauma is an event, or series of events, that overwhelms the central nervous system. Trauma occurs when one's ability to defend, protect, or say no is overwhelmed. Trauma is what occurs when your solution (active response to threat) does not work.

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Trauma Informed Schools - Resources and Curriculum for Teachers

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Often, trauma is defined as a deeply disturbing event or experience, but what one person may consider "deeply disturbing" may be different for others. The common understanding of trauma fails to account for more subtle and insidious forms of trauma such as neglect, abandonment, and vicarious trauma.

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by Physical and Health Education Canada

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Dr. Bruce Perry is an international expert in child trauma, and in his book The Boy who was Raised as a Dog reminds us that teachers have a key role to play with children who have experienced trauma, pointing out that "Just as a traumatic experience can alter a life in an instant, so too can a therapeutic encounter." These therapeutic encounters include so many small moments, from welcoming smiles to slowing down and taking a moment to ask how a child is doing, from engaging all students in activities in nature to allowing each one the opportunity to help another.

As educators, you are probably familiar with the concept of trauma-informed teaching, which draws our attention to trauma and classroom practices that are intended to support and help the child who has experienced trauma. Trauma, broadly defined, is an experience that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope.

In Canada, the Childhood Incidence Study helps us understand how many of our children have experienced maltreatment: based on investigated cases, nearly half of all confirmed cases of child maltreatment involve exposure to domestic violence, followed by neglect, emotional maltreatment, physical and sexual abuse ( http://cwrp.ca/sites/default/files/publications/en/ois-2013_final.pdf).

It is critically important to acknowledge, however, that interpersonal violence is not the only source of trauma. Trauma can be experienced as a result of structural violence, or experiences that happen to children because of who they are, how they live, and lack of opportunities. Racism, discrimination in all forms, poverty, unstable/inadequate housing, historical violence, and denial of education, employment, and hope for the attainment of basic wellness are all identified as possible sources of trauma. We know that both types of violence - interpersonal and structural - can affect many elements of learning including attendance, physical illness, concentration, memory, self-confidence and perseverance.

A recent study called the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study ( https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html) has raised awareness about how experiences such as abuse, neglect, and household challenges (such as having a parent who is incarcerated, or being homeless) can affect a child's ability to attend, engage, and learn at school. A trauma-informed approach to teaching is critical to understand how to respond to and support individual children who have ACEs.

But a trauma-and-violence informed approach also takes into account not just interpersonal violence- that is, child maltreatment - but also structural violence. Instead of asking a student "What is wrong with you?", we ask, "What has happened, what may still be happening, to you?". It shifts the focus from what is happening in the child's head, to what is happening in their life.

From colleagues who are investigating and developing new evidence-based practices in trauma-and-violence informed care (TVIC) in health care settings ( https://equiphealthcare.ca/), we are fortunate to have guidance for bringing these principles to the classroom and school. Here are 4 ways to work in a trauma-and-violence-informed way:

1. Build trauma awareness and understanding of the high prevalence of trauma and violence, the impact of trauma on a child's development, and the range of strategies that children and families use to cope.

2. Build safety and trust by creating a welcoming environment, pairing expectations (for learning, for example) with support, developing positive relationships with children and families, and thinking about safety.

3. Foster opportunities for choice, collaboration and connection by listening, noticing, and responding with care and a shared vision for identifying services, supports, and care.

4. Use a strengths-based and capacity-building approach to support students.

Want to learn more?
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, the newly appointed Surgeon General for the State of California did a TEd Talk on the topic of Adverse Childhood Experiences, which can be viewed here:
www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?language=en&utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
She has also authored a great book, The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co: New York, NY).

These resources, and online resources such as those found at the Harvard Center on the Developing Child ( www.developingchild.harvard.edu), can help us all learn more.

These moments matter, and your connection with students are so important. Within the Teach Resiliency site there are numerous resources that will be useful in understanding the experience of trauma, traumatic stress, and behavioural problems - we invite you to check them out, and keep the conversation going.
Susan Rodger, PhD., C. Psych.
Psychologist and Associate Professor,
Counselling Psychology Program, Faculty of Education,
Western University

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Trauma and violence informed teaching - why it is critically important, and how we can do it

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Dr. Bruce Perry is an international expert in child trauma, and in his book The Boy who was Raised as a Dog reminds us that teachers have a key role to play with children who have experienced trauma, pointing out that "Just as a traumatic experience can alter a life in an instant, so too can a therapeutic encounter."

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Why All Schools Should Be Trauma-Informed

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Why All Schools Should Be Trauma-Informed

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by Dr. Mary Crnobori

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Why All Schools Should Be Trauma-Informed | Dr. Mary Crnobori | TEDxVanderbiltUniversity