Foundations for a Trauma-Responsive School: Key Practices and Tools for Fostering Resilience

Audience

All School Staff

Overview

The experts all agree that one of the key elements of being a trauma-informed school is that all school staff have a foundational knowledge of trauma and its impact and what it means to practice trauma-informed care. During this transformational session, leaders and teachers in your building will be empowered as the agents of change as the lens they are using to view students shifts from, “What’s wrong with this student?” to, “What’s happened to this student?”

This session will then provide a framework for the practice of trauma-informed care and will provide guidance and practical tools on integrating trauma informed practices into the school and its classrooms.

Challenges Addressed

• Divided understanding among staff of trauma and its impact on students, staff, and the school community
• School leaders and staff know that many of their students have experienced trauma, but they don’t know what to do to help these students
• Teachers are feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, which is impacting their ability to do their job and build relationships with students and peers
• Teachers complain that the school isn’t being punitive enough in its discipline practices
• Overwhelming number of discipline referrals.

Program Outcomes

• Increased teacher buy-in
• More positive attitudes towards trauma-informed practices
• Increased empathy and compassion for students
• Staff feeling more empowered in their capacity to help trauma-exposed students
• Shared approach to supporting behavior
• Staff equipped with specific practices and tools for building student resilience
• Teachers and staff practicing self-care

Format

Two 1-Hour Planning Meetings (Virtual) +
Full-Day (6 hrs) in-person collaborative session