Lisa Coenen, RN TRAUMA SENSITIVE SCHOOLS AND TRAUMA INFORMED CARE

EXAMPLES EARTH QUAKE PHYSICAL ABUSE WITNESSED VIOLENCE NEGLECT OTHER EVENTS??? What Would You Categorize as Trauma?

BASED ON THE VICTIM OR SUBJECT’S PERSPECTIVE AND EXPERIENCE Trauma is

SO….. What is a Trauma Sensitive School

TRAUMA SENSITIVE SCHOOLS ARE AWARE THAT ANY ONE COULD HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA SO WE TREAT EVERY ONE AS THOUGH THEY HAVE

A Trauma Sensitive School BUT what does trauma have to do with education??? It is a school that has implemented a global “Trauma –sensitive” philosophy, and a universal staff approach; which is built on 4 major themes 1.ALL STAFF RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE POTENTIAL TRAUMA 2.THE SCHOOL PROVIDES A FLEXIBLE FRAMEWORK WITH UNIVERSAL SUPPORTS 3.STAFF ARE SENSITIVE TO A CHILD’S UNIQUE NEEDS WHEN DEALING WITH TRAUMA 4. All STAFF ARE MINDFUL OF AVOIDING RE-TRAUMATIZATION

The Traumatized Brain Lives in survival mode operating out of automatic responses Fight or Flight or Freeze Hypo or Hyper Arousal

BARRIER to LEARNING The Alarm System is Always On (amygdala) Cannot Use the Thinking Brain When in This Mode Trauma memory lives in the part of the brain that feels

Trauma Memory

Impact of Trauma

Trauma Survivors Live with the memory And Re-live the Memory Are they angry with you or are they coping with their memories? Are they ignoring you or are they ignoring their memories?

Trauma’s Impact on Children Trauma leaves impact Children usually lack procedural memory for functional learning It impacts social behavior It’s trail elicits automatic emotional and behavioral responses Children lack skills in interpersonal behavior including setting limits, inappropriate expectations... They can appear manipulative- but it is usually survival tactics Janine Fisher, Teaching trauma informed care to staff, caregivers, and consumers

Key Engagement If the thinking brain is engaged- the memory and the response can be inhibited Engagement can be through sensory input or through simple dialogue Keep it positive

Trauma History We don’t need to know what abuse might have happened to a student. We need to know How to provide trauma informed care Which means practicing awareness about what might trigger a fight or flight or frozen response and How to manage these responses in the school setting

KNOW TRAUMA TRIGGERS Team collaboration is essential in identifying a student’s triggers. Triggers occur through sensory experiences In trauma care, a “visual trigger warning sign” tool can be helpful to the student and the staff. This can be in word or picture format, based on the student’s coping skills and cognitive level A few trigger examples include being restrained or having to sit in a small room, or loud screaming.

Who Needs to Practice Trauma Informed Care EVERYONE No matter what your role is- it is your responsibility to act and interact with students through the “TRAUMA INFORMED LENS”

WHY When you create and support an environment that is trauma sensitive and you operate through a trauma informed filter

YOU HELP CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE  A CHILD CAN FEEL SAFE  A CHILD CAN LEARN TO TRUST  A CHILD CAN EXPERIENCE SUCCESS AND EMPOWERMENT Impact

Action Plan for Upcoming School Year Trauma Sensitive School Checklist Trauma informed Care Evaluation Trauma Care Policy

To Ponder The core experiences of psychological trauma are disempowerment and disconnection from others. Recovery, therefore, is based upon the empowerment of the survivor and the creation of new connections. Recovery can take place only within the context of relationships; it cannot occur in isolation. (Herman, 1992/1997).