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Childhood trauma can go away, but most of the time it doesn’t happen without work. At our facility in Nashville, we do the work with you. Call today to get started.

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The Link Between Childhood Trauma and Addiction

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Childhood Trauma and Addiction are often connected. Calling Integrative Life Center at [Organic] can get you the help you need.

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APA Mental Health Primers

This information is designed to help teachers respond to students who may need support. It is not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool or to replace the use of formal assessments employed by mental health professionals. Additionally, it is important to consider the context of the situation, individual differences, and cultural and linguistic factors.

Teachers play an important role in establishing and maintaining healthy environments for students to learn and grow. For students who have been exposed to traumatic experiences, the first step is to ensure that classrooms feel safe for the child. Only after a student feels safe, can teachers work toward building supportive relationships and academic gains.

Unfortunately, trauma exposure is common. When students require additional support, teachers play a critical role in guiding students suffering from trauma to professionals in the building who can be of assistance.

Audio series: Students exposed to trauma

Join Amanda Dettmer, PhD, research scientist at the Yale School of Medicine's Child Study Center, as she speaks with Tammy Hughes, PhD, professor of school psychology at Duquesne University and APA Fellow, who shares some of her expertise on how teachers can support students who are exposed to trauma.

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What is Trauma?

A traumatic event is a frightening, dangerous, or violent event that poses bodily or psychological harm or is a threat to a student's life or a loved one. Students may or may not experience a situation as traumatic. The manifestation of trauma may differ based on cultural perspectives. For example, in some cultures people express their experiences of trauma more publicly and with their community whereas in others the expression is more individualistic and private.

Some traumatic events could be, but are not limited to:

Gun violence

Sexual abuse

Domestic abuse

Addiction

Suicide/death

Familial illness

Car accidents

Natural disasters/catastrophic events

Traumatic experiences often initiate strong emotions and physical reactions that can persist long after the event. Notably, a student does not need to have experienced a traumatic event directly.

A child may witness a traumatic event or see it through the media.

A child may be told about a trauma, often with gruesome details.

Traumatic events during one's childhood can impact a student's development throughout the rest of their life.

How Might Trauma Be Expressed by Students in School?

Left unaddressed, the negative impacts of stress and trauma can disrupt a student's behavior, and emotional wellbeing, academic success and health. Witnesses and bystanders of traumatic events might be disruptive or inattentive in school, or demonstrate unacceptable or defiant behavior. They might also demonstrate more fear-based behaviors (e.g., not wanting a door closed; being disturbed by a normal occurrence, like a bell ringing).

Students who have been exposed to trauma might also show a disruption in cognitive skills (e.g., memory, attention). This might result in decreased academic performance and school engagement. In the virtual learning environment (VLE), students who have experienced or witnessed trauma might withdraw from video or text/chat engagement or appear to have difficulty focusing.

In both learning environments, students exposed to trauma may also exhibit truancy, repeated tardiness, decreased attention to personal hygiene and grooming, and behaviors they have not demonstrated before, such as unreasonable fears or repetitive speech and behavior patterns.

Refer Students to Further Help if Needed

Review your school policy for seeking student supports.

Contact your school counselor, psychologist, social worker, and other personnel.

Empirical Research

Berson, I. R., & Baggerly, J. (2009). Building resilience to trauma: Creating a safe and supportive early childhood classroom. Childhood Education, 85(6), 375-379.

Blitz, L. V., Anderson, E. M., & Saastamoinen, M. (2016). Assessing perceptions of culture and trauma in an elementary school: Informing a model for culturally responsive trauma-informed schools. The Urban Review, 48(4), 520-542.

Dods, J. (2013). Enhancing understanding of the nature of supportive school-based relationships for youth who have experienced trauma. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue canadienne de l'éducation, 36(1), 71-95.

Hudson, C. C., Adams, S., & Lauderdale, J. (2016). Cultural expressions of intergenerational trauma and mental health nursing implications for US health care delivery following refugee resettlement: An integrative review of the literature. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 27(3), 286-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659615587591

Figge, C. J., Martinez-Torteya, C., Taing, S., Chhim, S., & Hinton, D. E. (2020). Key expressions of trauma-related distress in Cambodian children: a step toward culturally sensitive trauma assessment and intervention. Transcultural psychiatry, 1363461520906008. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461520906008

Terrasi, S., & De Galarce, P. C. (2017). Trauma and learning in America's classrooms. Phi Delta Kappan, 98(6), 35-41.

Related Mental Health Primers

The Mental Health Primers are developed by the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education. This resource was updated in October 2021 with support from cooperative agreement NU87PS004366 funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views or endorsement of the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Teachers play a critical role in guiding students suffering from trauma which if left unaddressed can disrupt a student's behavior, and emotional wellbeing, academic success and health. Part of the APA Mental Health Primers for teachers responding to students who may need support.

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Taking care of yourself allows the healing process to be a bit easier. 

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Taking care of yourself allows the healing process to be a bit easier. 

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Strategies for Adults with Traumatic Childhood

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Learn strategies for adults with traumatic childhood experiences. Discover how Integrative Life Center in Nashville, TN can help on the journey to healing and resilience.

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Too much stress can cause severe anxiety. 

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Too much stress can cause severe anxiety. 

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Coping Mechanisms for Anxiety from Childhood Trauma

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Understand and manage anxiety from childhood trauma. Learn practical coping mechanisms and holistic approaches for a healthier life. Call Integrative Life Center in Nashville today!

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Reaching out for help is a big step and allows a person to express themselves and get the help they need. 

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Reaching out for help is a big step and allows a person to express themselves and get the help they need. 

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For some people, therapy is a loaded word defined by cliches. Pop culture is full of images of what a therapist might look like, how they might act, or what an experience in their office might be like. Rarely do people get an image of trauma-informed therapy.

Maybe you've even seen a show where the client and therapist had an antagonistic relationship. Perhaps you've seen a movie that makes you think you could never go to therapy. The creators are looking to further a story, not accurately representing therapy.

Before determining if trauma-informed therapy is right for you, it's essential to know what it is, the barriers to accessing it, and the techniques that guide that type of care.

Trauma and Trauma-Informed Therapy

Trauma has a broad definition, and the way it impacts a person depends on how that person interprets what happened to them in the past. It can be a one-time event, multiple events, or a long-lasting series of events.

Some potentially traumatic events include bullying, discrimination, assault, abuse, grief, poverty, accidents, natural disasters, or lack of attunement with your primary caregivers. All of these things can create long-lasting effects. They can shape how a person views the world and interacts with others, including mental health professionals.

Trauma-informed therapists approach the client with the complete picture of the client's life in mind. A basic tenet of this type of care is switching the focus from "What's wrong with you" to "What happened to you?" This shifts the focus of therapy from the patient's current state to what happened to them and lets that knowledge guide their care.

A key goal of trauma-informed care is to prevent the client's re-traumatization. To do this, therapists and counselors try to understand the effect trauma had on the client, and from there, they devise a treatment plan to help them recover.

Barriers to Trauma-Informed Therapy

Even though trauma-informed therapy can be incredibly beneficial, not everyone chooses this type of therapy. There are many reasons a person chooses one form of treatment instead of another. Below are some of the most common reasons a person doesn't choose trauma-informed therapy.

Unidentified Trauma

Many people believe that trauma can only happen in extreme circumstances, like war. But in reality, trauma is anything that makes you feel like you or someone you love is in danger. Because people may fail to see their experiences as traumatic, they may continue to ignore their trauma.

Unaware of Types of Therapy

If you've never been to a therapist before or simply aren't aware of all the treatment options out there, you may not know that trauma-informed therapy exists. And even if you've heard of it, it may not seem like much more than a buzzword if you haven't heard anything else about it. You're unlikely to choose what you don't know about or understand.

Unprepared to Face Trauma

Trauma can be extremely painful - emotionally, mentally, and even physically. Many people struggle to seek help for trauma because they believe that speaking about it will reopen old wounds. And many people have devised coping mechanisms to help them deal with the trauma. They may think just coping is good enough. Even though a person can create their own healthy coping mechanisms, no one has to heal from trauma alone.

Unwilling to Seek Therapeutic Help

In many cultures and settings, seeking mental health care or speaking about mental health can be taboo. Some people are unwilling to call a counselor because of the stigma attached to it, or because they feel an immense amount of shame about needing help. They have to get beyond these false beliefs before they're ready to seek help.

Guiding Assumptions of Trauma-Informed Therapy

Trauma-informed care is based on some guiding assumptions. Even though every client is different and no two clients have experienced the same trauma, these guiding assumptions create an environment conducive to better care for all clients.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 4 Rs of Trauma-Informed Care are:

1. Realization of how trauma can affect people and groups

2. Recognizing signs of trauma

3. Responding with a trauma-informed system

4. Resisting re-traumatizing clients

Techniques of Trauma-Informed Therapy

In addition to the four guiding assumptions, five principles guide trauma-informed therapy. These five techniques enable healthcare providers to create a system that focuses on the patient and their life experiences to help them through trauma recovery.

Safety

Therapists and counselors who work in trauma-informed settings actively ensure their clients are emotionally and physically safe in the therapy environment. Because these clients may have experienced past trauma, ensuring their safety at the outset can make them feel more comfortable.

Collaboration

Collaboration is essential in trauma-informed therapy. Rather than creating a strict protocol, the therapist and client work together to create a plan. This method relies more on empathy and intuition rather than stringent rules. It allows each client to create a unique treatment plan based on their needs.

Trust

Therapists and counselors need to show they are trustworthy in a trauma-informed environment. This trust helps clients open up and share information that makes them feel vulnerable. Having consistent boundaries and clear expectations are great ways to build trust.

Choice

Because some traumatic experiences can make people feel out of control, trauma-informed care can actively empower people by making choices in their treatment. These choices can be as simple as determining what level of care they want for that session or even what they'll talk about that day.

Empowerment

Trauma-informed therapy empowers people to discover new strengths and build on those they already had. They develop a solid foundation to fall back on and healthier coping mechanisms.

Is Trauma-Informed Therapy Right for You?

Before you seek help from a therapist or recovery program, it's essential to ask whether trauma-informed therapy is right for you. Trauma, when left untreated, can worsen. Everyone has experienced trauma of some kind. If that trauma has been left unprocessed, it can affect all areas of your life.

Unprocessed trauma can prevent you from having healthy relationships, hinder your ability to work or attend school, and increase your risk of a substance use disorder. If you've experienced addiction, ongoing depression, or anxiety, or even if you're hesitant to try therapy, past trauma could be the reason.

If you're ready to start your healing journey, contact Integrative Life Center. Our trauma-informed therapy program can help.

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Trauma-informed care may appear different depending on each situation. Read on to learn more about this therapy and if it's right for you. Call the Integrative Life Center today!

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Childhood Trauma can have many effects on a person's mind and body. However there are many ways to heal from this trauma allowing for a normal life. 

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Childhood Trauma can have many effects on a person's mind and body. However there are many ways to heal from this trauma allowing for a normal life. 

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"Childhood Trauma and its aftermath can look different for each person" 

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"Childhood Trauma and its aftermath can look different for each person" 

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" Longer lasting negative physical and emotional impacts can creep up throughout life"

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" Longer lasting negative physical and emotional impacts can creep up throughout life"