trauma-informed approaches

Trauma-informed approaches

Trauma-informed practice acknowledges that traumatic experiences are highly prevalent. It is designed to support organisations to reduce risk of trauma and re-traumatisation of people exposed to trauma. While trauma-informed approaches apply to a wide range of activities, the focus of these pages is on trauma-informed pedagogies in Higher Education classrooms, and supporting Higher Education educators to negotiate tensions in their classrooms.

笔谤别惫补濒别苍肠别:鈥€痵urveyed > 800 first year undergraduate students in an ethnically diverse part of England with a very high poverty rate. Four in five students reported at least one adverse event or circumstance before age 18, half reported three or more, and 20% reported at least six. Research from the US has similarly found that traumatic experiences are pervasive among college populations. According to one US study, 16.3% of 2,637 undergraduates surveyed reported multiple experiences of maltreatment (). In Australia, it is estimated that between 50% and 67% of young people have experienced at least one traumatic event by the age of 16 ().

What is 鈥渢rauma鈥�?

A commonly adopted definition states that trauma arises from 鈥渁n event, series of events, or a set of circumstances an individual experiences as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening, which may have lasting adverse effects on the individual鈥檚 functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being鈥� (SAMHSA, 2014, p. 7). Using this definition, the term trauma is used to describe a reaction to an event that may be potentially traumatic.

It is important to recognise that trauma can be deeply subjective, and to respect differences in how an event is experienced by those impacted, including the perceived level of threat posed by the event. As the diagram below shows, traumatic events may be experienced by an individual, a generation, or an entire community or culture.

Diagram shows five levels of trauma experiences. Individual trauma affects on person, family trauma affects multiple members within a family, group trauma affects a particular groups, community trauma impacts a few people but has structural or social traumatic consequences and mass trauma affects large numbers of people.

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This public domain image is from:鈥�

Examples of trauma include, but are not limited to:

Childhood neglect

Racial discrimination

Poverty

Homelessness or housing instability

Experiencing or witnessing emotional, physical or sexual abuse

Natural disaster

Bereavement

Past or current experiences of trauma may be associated with classroom conflict. Tertiary students (or educators) who have experienced previous trauma or are currently experiencing trauma may be more likely to experience a fear response upon encountering stressful stimuli or "triggers", even when these stimuli seem benign to others. For example, a student may be triggered by raised voices or increased tension in the classroom. Such a fear response may lead to escalation and interpersonal conflict and can negatively affect the learning experience of students.

Trauma-informed practice

In an education context, trauma-informed practice involves taking steps to reduce trauma and re-traumatisation in learning and teaching, by creating safe, inclusive learning environments.

Trauma-informed practice refers to 鈥渁 program, organisation, or system that 鈥︹€痳ealises鈥痶he widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery;鈥痳ecognises鈥痶he signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system;鈥痳esponds鈥痓y fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively鈥痳esist鈥痳e-traumatisation鈥� of people exposed to trauma (SAMHSA, 2014, p. 9).

Re-traumatisation (sometimes referred to as 鈥渢riggering鈥�) is re-living stress reactions experienced as a result of a current or previous traumatic experience, when faced with reminders of that event or a new traumatic event.

Diagram shows six key principles of trauma-informed practice - collaboration and mutuality, cultural, historical and gender issues, peer support, empowerment, trustworthiness and transparency and safety.

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There are six key principles of trauma-informed practice (illustration adapted from鈥�).

Safety:鈥疎stablish students' sense of safety through developing strong relationships and rapport with students, creating predictable schedules and routines for students, and regulating your own emotional responses. Provide accessible course and unit information to students in advance of delivery, so that students know what to expect and can determine their own level of comfort with sensitive material. Evaluate the sensitivity of course and unit material, anticipate what students may find distressing, and provide students with advice and links to support services should they experience distress, trauma or re-traumatisation.
Trustworthiness and transparency:鈥疎stablish trustworthiness and transparency with students through establishing clear expectations and boundaries regarding acceptable classroom behaviour and student interactions, and communicate to students the process for managing classroom conflict and tension should it arise .
Peer Support:鈥疎ncourage peers to support each other and apply trauma-informed approaches when interacting with others, such as recognising topics of conversation that may be traumatising for others and ways to regulate their own emotions during periods of classroom tension or conflict.
Collaboration and Mutuality:鈥疌ollaborate with students on co-creation of ground rules and group norms for respectful engagement with course and module content, and respectful discussion and debate with other students and educators.
Empowerment and Choice:鈥疎mpower students to recognise their own distress and encourage them to engage in self-care, such as leaving the classroom, or give students choices, such as accessing learning in an alternative format, if they feel unable to engage with a particular subject, at a particular time.
Cultural, Historical or Gender Issues: Recognise that topics related to gender, sexuality, race, culture, disability, disadvantage and colonialism may lead to trauma or re-traumatisation of students. Ensure that students are made aware when these topics will be discussed in class and encourage students to use their own self-care strategies and student support services when required.

Trauma-informed practice in education

Trauma-informed practice provides educators with a framework to help them understand鈥痑nd鈥痳espond鈥痶o the impacts of trauma on students鈥� learning, emotions and behaviour. The aim of trauma-informed practice is to create a sense of safety in learning environments, thereby preventing re-traumatisation and adverse responses to triggers in the classroom, including tension and conflict in the classroom.

Trauma-informed practice can also help educators to effectively manage secondary traumatic stress. Secondary traumatic stress refers to negative emotions and behaviours people may experience from knowing about another person鈥檚 traumatic experience, and stress resulting from helping or wanting to help that person.

Many other traumatic events may feature in classroom discussions, such as discussion of abuse, harassment, maltreatment, racism and global conflict. Use of trauma-informed practice can help educators to create safe, supportive learning environments that invite critical and respectful discussion and debate and promote intellectual challenge. They also create learning environments that recognise and are respectful of varied opinions, cultural traditions, religious symbols, dress, practices etc. These approaches can be deployed in circumstances where classroom tension and conflict arise, to help educators to effectively de-escalate classroom conflict and prevent re-traumatisation of students.

What can educators do to implement trauma-informed practices in the classroom?

Implementing trauma-informed practices is essential, especially during periods of social tension and emotional distress. These approaches create a supportive environment that acknowledges the impact of trauma on learning and behaviour. Some practices that may be considered:

Prioritise the learning environment as a space for enabling the demonstration of tolerance of difference, respectful dialogue and upholding academic freedom where鈥痑ll鈥痵tudents enjoy the freedom to learn.

Convey ideas in ways that would ensure that students and staff who hold and express different views would feel safe and included. The University of 糖心TV鈥檚 Freedom of Speech policy 鈥榩laces the highest value on respectful, tolerant, engaged, courteous, and thoughtful debate, which creates the environment in which Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom may thrive and from which progress towards knowledge and truth may be made.鈥�
Encourage diverse perspectives while maintaining an environment in which learners do not make assumptions. Facilitate constructive conversations by encouraging students to ask for clarification when they may not understand a point someone has made, or to not assume they know what others are thinking. Foster empathy and active listening skills among students.

Provide content warnings when discussing potentially triggering subjects within the classroom.
Offer opportunities for private discussions for students who may be personally affected by certain topics.
Create opportunities for reflection and processing after discussing challenging topics.

If any comments within classrooms harm the safety and wellbeing of staff and students, you are encouraged to report this via the university's secure and confidential online platform Report+Support. Students and staff can use the tool to report an incident, whether it took place on campus, off-campus or online. You have two reporting options, Disclose with details or Report Anonymously. If you submit a report and Disclose with details a specially trained Liaison Officer will contact you within 2 University working days. For emergencies On Campus, staff or students can call Security on 02476522222.

Supporting your Students - useful links to the University of 糖心TV's policies and support services

Below are useful links to university policies and support services which can be accessed for further guidance and support:

Wellbeing and Student Support Self-help resourcesLink opens in a new window

Dignity at 糖心TV PolicyLink opens in a new window

Residential Community TeamLink opens in a new window

Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom PolicyLink opens in a new window

Safeguarding PolicyLink opens in a new window

Staff Sexual Misconduct Policy and ProcedureLink opens in a new window

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