A Proactive & Responsive Approach to Trauma In Schools

Christine A. Anderson, M.A.

What is trauma?

Simple: Any experience that is interpreted as life-threatening/may cause serious injury.

Complex/Developmental: Multiple traumatic events over a longer duration (abuse, neglect, family conflict, etc.)

How common?

One in four children that attend school has been exposed to at least one traumatic event. (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2008).

More than two-thirds will have experienced the traumatic event before the age of 16 (American Psychological Association, 2008).

What does it do to the brain?!

Changes in DNA

Cortisol : hyperarousal, vigilance, fight-or-flight

Reactive behavior, quick to hide, deny seeing the good intentions of others, easily give up

Bridge between hemispheres

All contributes to difficulties in : ID of emotions, reading social situations, integrate complex information

ACES

We all remember the ACES study.

Heart disease

Early tobacco use

Alcoholism

Overall poor quality of life

DEATH!!!

There’s more?!

Executive functioning (children and adults)

Short-term memory

Inhibition

Organization

Memory

Reduced ability to recall specific personal events – more general/prototypical

Attention: inability to focus, organize oneself, solve problems, inhibit impulsive behaviors…ADHD?

These students are lacking an internal

map to guide them!

Therefore they are often observed acting rather than planning

School-Wide: Let’s be proactive!

Not always aware of who has experienced trauma: best approach!

PBIS – praise, encouragement

Choices…control

Teacher training/support – IMPORTANT!

Transitions, changes, misunderstood

Middle/high school challenge

School-Wide…

Safe zones

Approach to discipline & responsibility

Strengths-based approach – let them shine!

SEL – skills, bullying

What’s the next step?

RtI

FBA

Evaluation/IEP/504

Counseling – check-in/out

Skill building: group or individual

Emotion regulation, coping strategies, emotions/feelings

Extracurricular

Sports-based program

Next…

Grief and Trauma Intervention (GTI) for Children

Ages 7-12

Expressive: art, drama, play, music

10 sessions, 1 hour

Group or individual

CBT approach to lessons/narrative

Inexpensive

After school

Decreased depressive symptoms, PTSD symptoms, and externalizing behaviors

What about ‘those’ kids…

Home/outside referrals

GTI on an individual level

Wraparound services

DCF involvement: 51a if necessary?

Therapeutic classroom

Subseparate placement/treatment

Trauma-focused CBT for the win!

Proactive is the way to go…

Understand the student as an individual and rule in/out all possibilities

STRIVE FOR RESILIENCE!