Adapted from Trauma-Responsive Pedagogy by Courtney Baker and Arlène Casimir.
Trauma-responsive teaching is the application of trauma-informed care to education. Trauma-informed care was originally developed in human services and health care settings and describes systems that understand the prevalence and impact of trauma; recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in both the system users and the staff; and respond by changing practices, policies, and procedures to ameliorate rather than exacerbate the effects of trauma (Brown et al. 2012; Harris and Fallot 2001; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA] 2014). Trauma-informed care grew from a stakeholder movement—adults speaking out about the experiences they had as children in residential or psychiatric care, such as restraint and seclusion, institutionalization, and the disruption of their relationships with caregivers—that identified the “care” they received as harmful rather than healing.
Although it originated in mental health and substance abuse treatment settings, trauma-informed care is relevant to schools as well. Education offers a pathway for all children to gain key skills and become contributing citizens. Especially for systemically marginalized populations, education also provides a mechanism for society to move toward social justice (Gilliam 2016; Holliday et al. 2014). Though the potential is enormous, the education system has also historically failed students. Examples include disproportional instances of exclusionary discipline and special education, bullying by students and teachers, restraint and seclusion of students with disabilities, and the control of bodies—especially Black bodies—apparent in both historical and present-day educational reform.
The Need for Trauma-Responsive Schools
Trauma-responsive schools understand the prevalence and impact of trauma, recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in students and school staff, and respond by changing policies, practices, and procedures to reduce the impact of past ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and trauma and also to prevent them in the future (Harris and Fallot 2001; Overstreet and Chafouleas 2016; SAMHSA 2014). Guidelines have been developed that adapt trauma-informed approaches to education to support the implementation of trauma-responsive schools (e.g., Cole et al. 2013). Trauma-responsive education is implemented at the school or district level, and its components typically include leadership consultation, professional development training about trauma, teacher skill-building and coaching, and evidence-based interventions for students with clinical stress reactions or psychological distress. Depending on the model, each of these pillars of trauma-responsive education can be implemented in-house or through partnerships with the community. Though the empirical literature on trauma-responsive schools is new, studies have found that when a school adopts trauma-informed approaches, staff knowledge of the effects of trauma increases, staff attitudes become more trauma informed, and there are fewer suspensions, expulsions, and student behavior issues (Dorado et al. 2016; McIntyre et al. 2019; von der Embse et al. 2018).
Though trauma-responsive education must occur at the system level to be fully effective, one of the biggest challenges for teachers is translating what they learn in foundational professional development trainings about ACEs and trauma into their classrooms. In fact, I know from my own research that two key facilitators of the successful implementation of trauma-responsive education include (1) knowing what to do and (2) self-efficacy that it can be done (Wittich et al. 2020). When these are supported by adequate resources and a shared commitment to the work, educators are well equipped to tackle the challenges of implementing trauma-responsive education (Wittich et al. 2020).
For this reason, the next two blogs will be reviewing the two main ways that teachers can implement trauma-responsive education in their classrooms: developing lagging skills and building supportive relationships (Greene and Ablon 2006; Shonkoff 2016). Each of these methods of boosting students’ resilience can be integrated into the day-to-day activities of the classroom, and each plays a central role in the set of research-informed practices that together create a trauma-informed school or district, especially when educator well-being is also supported. Of course, trauma-responsive classrooms must also minimize risk, particularly through reducing or eliminating practices that may lead to students being traumatized at school. We will conclude by examining how to attend to teacher well-being alongside this work.
