People experiencing trauma is a major concern.  In fact, the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention reports that “60% of adults report experiencing abuse or other difficult family circumstances during their childhood.”  They also declare “25% of children from the United States will witness a traumatic event before they turn 4 years old.”

The concepts and importance of “educating the whole child,” “social-emotional learning,” and attention to providing good mental health practices continue to push educators into redefining their roles and responsibilities.  This course is intended to help you look, through a new lens, at the educational institution and your role within it.  We cannot manage these challenges without first becoming aware of what they are and their significance for students, parents, teachers, and communities.   This course will introduce you to the definitions associated with trauma informed education.  You will become better acquainted with common “triggers” that can cause a survivor re-experience their trauma.  You will learn how trauma affects the body, the brain and relationships.  Lastly, you will be given resources, tools, and strategies to help you provide a safe space for students and to facilitate an emotionally healthy classroom where students feel safe to learn.

Students enrolled in this course will...

Know

• The definitions and concepts associated with trauma   
• How the body and brain are affected when a person experiences a traumatic event  
• Which strategies and techniques can be appropriately integrated into your classroom to address the needs and concerns of your students?   

Understand

• How triggers cause a survivor to re-experience
• How the neuropathways of the brain are changed as a result of experiencing trauma
• Muscle memory as it related to experiencing trauma  
• How by building trust and compassion in relationships we can help people overcome and heal from trauma.  

And Be Able To

• Use social and emotional teaching strategies to promote a safe and kind classroom environment  
• Apply “whole child” concepts to lessons in an effective and appropriate manner  
• Apply teaching strategies that empower students and promote good mental health practices
• Help students build resiliency in the face of adversity