8/3/2020
1
Trauma-Informed Approaches in Teaching
Rebecca Anderson, LCSW
Kirk Anderson, PhD
Objectives
• Why trauma-informed approaches are important
• What trauma is and how it impacts learning
• Practical ways to incorporate trauma-informed teaching principles
• The importance of addressing and preventing secondary trauma
Participants will learn…
8/3/2020
2
Why Trauma-Informed Approaches?• Trauma is prevalent
• 66-85% of youth report lifetime trauma exposure by the time they reach college (Read et al., 2011; Smyth et al., 2008)
• As many as 50% of college students have exposure to a potentially traumatic event in the first year of college (Galatzer-Levy et al., 2012).
• Trauma responses interfere with learning, trust, and relationships (ISTSS, 2016)
• Trauma is an equity issue (Boyraz et al., 2013; Carter et al., 2011; Milner et al., 2019)
• Educational institutions present risk of retraumatization
• Oppressed and marginalized groups are at greater risk of trauma
• People who work with college students are at risk of secondary trauma/compassion fatigue (Lynch & Glass, 2019)
• Trauma-informed approaches are shown to improve outcomes for both those who provide and receive trauma-informed services (Hales et al. 2017; Hales et al., 2019; Murray, 2020)
• Current events related to the pandemic and police violence increase trauma exposure
What is trauma and how does it impact learning?
8/3/2020
3
What is Trauma?
Trauma
Which overwhelms a
person’s ability to cope (effect)
Experienced as extremely
threatening
Event, series of events, or
circumstances
Event + Experience + Effect
≠ diagnosis of PTSD—person can have trauma without meeting criteria for PTSD
Event
Source: NASMHPD, 2018
8/3/2020
4
Experience and Effect
• Person• Developmental stage• Coping skills• Past experiences• Cultural beliefs and/or spirituality• Expectations of event, setting, or people involved
• Environment • Access to informal and formal supports• Non-judgmental, supportive responses from others• Systems
• Event• Chronicity & severity• Random vs. preventable• Accidental vs. intentional• Interpersonal vs. natural• Sense of agency vs. helplessness• Proximity (physical or relational)
Exacerbating or Mediating Factors
Effect
Source: NASMHPD, 2018
8/3/2020
5
What is trauma-informed teaching?
What is a Trauma-Informed Approach?
What it is• A principle-based way of being• A lens through which you can view
your work and students• A set of values that can guide your
course development, teaching, and interactions
What it isn’t• A mental health intervention to
address PTSD• Evaluating your students for trauma• “Coddling” or a reduction in rigor
8/3/2020
6
Trauma-Informed Value
Ways to Incorporate in Classroom
Safety • Predictability and routine• Classroom community agreements/standards• Minimize changes, offer advance warning as able• Allow students to choose their own seating/turn off cameras• Begin class with a transition or pause (e.g. moment of mindfulness)
Trustworthiness/Transparency
• Have clear expectations and communication• Make the implicit explicit (i.e., explain the “Hidden Curriculum”)• Be reliable• Don’t expect trust• Model vulnerability by saying “I don’t know” and “I’m also worried about…”• Acknowledge power differences between you and students
Choice • Offer options wherever possible (e.g. assignment prompts, specific research topic)• Include options to make up missed classes and assignments
Collaboration/Mutuality
• Emphasize shared ownership (“our classroom”)• Co-create classroom standards• Reduce didactic teaching where able• Problem-solve collaboratively• When you say “I don’t know,” make a shared effort out of finding the information• Elicit and act upon student feedback (e.g. mid-semester evals)
Empowerment • Highlight strengths and promote a growth mindset• Project optimism and unconditional positive regard for person (does not mean you
have to endorse behaviors)• Share power, where able (e.g. student presentations to teach material, etc.)
How do I address secondary trauma and compassion fatigue?
8/3/2020
7
Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue
• Difficulty talking about feelings
• Feeling easily irritated, frustrated, or angry
• Jumpiness
• Changes in appetite, sleep, mood
• Feeling trapped, hopeless, or helpless (especially re: students’ situations)
• Intrusive thoughts or dreams related to traumatic events
• Reduced sense of satisfaction or accomplishment
• Blame towards others
• Fatigue
• Feeling numb or detached
• Difficulty concentrating
“There is a cost to caring” –Charles Figley
The Four Quadrants of Self-Care
(Middleton, 2015)
8/3/2020
8
Support Options at GettysburgFor you:
• CARE Team report
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Consultation with colleagues, department chair, dean, provost, HR
Support Options at GettysburgFor your student:
• CARE Team report
• Referral to Health & Counseling: Professional Staff OR Peer Supporters
• Referral to Academic Advising for Academic Support and Disability Services
• Online resources via Counseling Services, includes education, support, and referral information
• Title IX Coordinator, Amanda Blaugher
• Encourage them to utilize their support networks—friends, parents, trusted others
• Local resources and providers
• Remote providers
8/3/2020
9
ReferencesAmerican Counseling Association, Traumatology Interest Network. (2011). Vicarious trauma (Fact Sheet No. 9). Alexandria, VA: American
Counseling Association.
Boyraz, G., Horne, S. G., Owens, A. C., & Armstrong, A. P. (2013). Academic achievement and college persistence of African American
students with trauma exposure. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(4), 582–592.
Carter, R. T., Reynolds, A. L., & Zarate, M. A. (2011). Race-related stress, racial identity status attitudes, and emotional reactions of black
Americans. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(2), 156–162.
Davidson, S. (n.d.). Trauma-Informed Practices for Postsecondary Education: A Guide. Retrieved from
https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/trauma-informed-practices-postsecondary-508.pdf
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V . ... Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse
and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258.
Hales, T. W., Nochajski, T. H., Green, S. A., Hitzel, H. K., & Woike-Ganga, E. (2017). An Association Between Implementing Trauma-
Informed Care and Staff Satisfaction. Advances in Social Work, 18(1), 300–312.
Hales, T. W., Green, S. A., Bissonette, S., Warden, A., Diebold, J., Koury, S. P., & Nochajski, T. H. (2019). Trauma-Informed Care Outcome
Study. Research on Social Work Practice, 29(5), 529–539.
Hoch, A., Stewart, D., Webb, K., & Wyandt-Hiebert, M. A. (2015, May). Trauma-informed care on a college campus. Presentation at the
annual meeting of the American College Health Association, Orlando, FL.
ISTSS. (2016). Trauma and Relationships. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Lynch, R. J., & Glass, C. R. (2019) The development of the secondary trauma in student affairs professionals scale (STSAP). Journal of
Student Affairs Research and Practice, 56(1), 1-18.
Middleton, J. (2015). Addressing Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue in Work with Older Veterans: An Ethical Imperative – Aging Life
Care AssociationTM. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aginglifecarejournal.org/addressing-secondary-trauma-and-compassion-
fatigue-in-work-with-older-veterans-an-ethical-imperative/
Milner, H.R., Cunningham, H.B., Delale-O-Connor, L., & Kestenberg, E.G. (Eds.) (2019). “These kids are out of control”: Why we must
reimagine “classroom management” for equity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Murray, K. (2020). Teachers perception of the influence of trauma informed classroom practices on elementary school students: A case study.
(2731) Seton Hall UNiversity Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2731
NASMHPD Center for Innovation in Trauma-Informed Appraoches (n.d.). TIC Train the Trainer on SAMHSA’s Trauma-Informed Approach:
Key Assumptions & Principles. Retrieved from https://www.nasmhpd.org/sites/default/files/Curriculum_NASMHPDTemplate_1.pdf
National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Schools Committee. (2008). Child trauma toolkit for educators. Retrieved from
http://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/assets/pdfs/Child_Trauma_Toolkit_Final.pdf.
Oehlberg, B. (2008). Why Schools Need to Be Trauma Informed. Retrieved from
http://www.traumainformedcareproject.org/resources/WhySchoolsNeedToBeTraumaInformed(2).pdf
Perry, B.D. (2006), Fear and learning: Trauma‐related factors in the adult education process. New Directions for Adult and Continuing
Education, 2006: 21-27. doi:10.1002/ace.215.
Read, J. P., Ouimette, P., White, J., Colder, C., & Farrow, S. (2011). Rates of DSM–IV–TR trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder
among newly matriculated college students. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 3(2), 148–156.
Smyth, J. M., Hockemeyer, J. R., Heron, K. E., Wonderlich, S. A., & Pennebaker, J.W. (2008). Prevalence, type, disclosure, and severity of
adverse life events in college students. Journal of American College Health, 57(1), 69–76.
Please complete our survey!