By using a trauma-informed approach you will experience the following outcomes with students:

  • Reduce Challenging Behavior

  • Improve Learning Outcomes

  • Increase Student Engagement

As an educator, you are faced with challenge of meeting the social and emotional needs of ALL your students. This can be challenging enough with typical learners but it is even more difficult with those who have experienced trauma or have mental health challenges. Students with trauma (known or unknown) often exhibit extremely challenging behavior and it can be difficult to make a connection. Traditional behavioral approaches to classroom management and a punitive approach to discipline simply are not effective with this group of students. A trauma-informed approach that includes positive relationships, a strengths-based approach and supportive interactions has been proved to greatly reduce challenging behavior, improve student engagement and increase learning outcomes. Not only does this positive approach benefit every one of your students, it is absolutely essential for students with trauma.

In this training, you will gain a better understanding of how trauma affects the students' ability to learn. You will learn how to assess for trauma, and most importantly; you will leave with many strategies, tools and resources that you can implement immediately with all your students. You will be equipped with:

  • Research-based practices to establish a trauma-informed classroom

  • A plan to develop positive relationships and built trust with your hard-to-reach students

  • Proven techniques for communicating more effectively and collaboratively with challenging students

  • Cognitive skill-building strategies which incorporate the science of neuroplasticity and the strengths-based perspective of neurodiversity

Training Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • Identify ways that poverty and mental health contribute to trauma responses

  • Discuss the vast areas of a child's development that are affected by trauma, and how the ACEs are used to determine the likelihood of negative outcomes

  • Describe the steps to establishing a collaborative approach to discipline and how this fosters intrinsic motivation

  • Implement five trauma-informed research-based practices in the classroom

  • Demonstrate how to establish positive relationships and build trust with even the most hard-to-reach students

  • Implement mindfulness activities that foster self-awareness, self-regulation and the ability to focus