Trauma Sensitive Schools: How Small Changes are Making a Big Impact
Experience and research prove that many students have unaddressed mental health needs that impact their ability to succeed.
That’s why Wellpoint Care Network’s Trauma Sensitive Schools training empowers educators to recognize common (and often, hidden) barriers to learning.
“I think in most school systems that aren’t trauma-informed, what we’re doing isn’t always working,” said Elizabeth Schuett-Davison, Wellpoint Care Network Clinical Supervisor and Trainer. “Kids are struggling. Put aside what may be happening in their personal lives, we also have outside factors like the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re seeing kids who didn’t learn basic social skills at the developmental stage that they would have normally learned them and now are trying to play catch up.”
Wellpoint Care Network’s Trauma Sensitive Schools practice acknowledges the lasting impact of childhood adversities. It changes the perspective from ‘What’s wrong with you?’ to ‘What happened to you, and how can I support you?’
“Our Trauma Sensitive Schools approach allows educators to meet kids where they are and figure out what they need to help empower them to regulate themselves,” added Schuett-Davison. “A child who isn’t regulated and who doesn’t feel safe in their body and their brain will not learn. If we are only focusing on the academics and we’re not focusing on the things the child needs socially or emotionally, our outcomes are going to be worse from an academic standpoint and from a behavioral standpoint.”
Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen that the Seven Essential Ingredients are vital in understanding the sources and impacts of trauma. Within this single framework, educators learn about trauma’s effects on children’s brain development and the keys to overcoming its related barriers.
What we’ve also learned is that teachers and administrators are busy, which is why we offer many ways to become trauma-informed.
“For some schools, it makes sense for us to come in and do a six-hour one-day training,” said Schuett- Davison. “Other schools prefer two three-hour trainings. Just recently at St. Joseph Academy, we began doing one-hour sessions on each of the seven ingredients. It allows for some more in-depth conversation, as well as reflection time. So, it’s taking the same curriculum but adjusting to the needs of each school.”
Some schools also use additional consultation to ensure the concepts are being properly put into practice.
“At Milwaukee Academy of Science for example, we did some side-by-side consultation where we actually went into the classroom and were able to watch how the teachers interact with kids in real-life situations and then offer feedback and do some coaching based off those interactions,” added Schuett-Davison. “Teachers can go through a training, but in the moment when emotions are heightened and there are 20 other kids in a classroom, being able to implement what you learned can be tough. So, us being there to talk through it and identify what they could have done differently has been really impactful.”
For teachers, one of the biggest takeaways is that it’s not just about regulating the students’ emotions but also making sure they can regulate themselves as well.
“We’re not pushing for giant changes,” said Schuett-Davison. “It’s not like we are asking schools to change their entire curriculum or change the overall schedule. It’s really more about offering students a safe space to learn. So yes, there’s some time and energy commitment, but it’s not some giant shift that’s going to take hours and hours of your staff’s time each day. It’s just adding and tweaking and making things that they’re probably already doing more effective for everybody.”
Trauma-informed training can be vital for anyone who routinely encounters youth, teens and families. Whatever role you play, the ones you serve will benefit from the tools, resources and best practices our Trauma Sensitive Schools Training provides. Learn more today.
