What are Trauma-Informed School Environments?
Trauma-Informed School Environments acknowledge the presence of and the impact of trauma and toxic stress in the life of students and school personnel.
Trauma-Informed Schools recognize:
- Students and staff bring experiences of trauma and toxic stress to school with them, and these experiences impact learning and behavior.
- Resilience can be built, and the vehicle for building resilience is a compassionate relationship that validates student and staff experiences and builds capacity to recognize and manage intense feelings.
- Contexts of poverty, marginalization, and discrimination create and contribute to environments that are harmful to humans, and schools must seek to build safe and supportive environments for all students and staff.
- Student behavior can be related to their experiences of trauma and toxic stress.
- Students can learn to manage intense feelings and behaviors related to those intense feelings in the context of safe and supportive adult relationships.
- The need for compassion and patience is integral to this process.
Trauma-Informed Schools consciously build experiences of relational joy into every day. Adults in Trauma-Informed Schools model compassion, hope, and mindfulness.
Rather than being just another program, Trauma-Informed School Environments are a way of being present with students and each other. Trauma-Informed School Environments communicate that hurt can be healed in compassionate and mindful relationships.
Our Trainings and Consultations
We provide Trauma-Informed School Environments training and consultation services for school districts and school buildings, educational service centers, parent organizations, and educators. Our trainings are built to meet your needs. They will cover:
- Trauma and Toxic Stress
- The Neurobiology of Trauma and Toxic Stress
- Trauma and Attachment at School
- Self-Care for Students and Adults
- Discipline in the Context of Trauma-Informed Environments
- Crisis Management
- The Classroom, The Hallway, The Office, The Lunchroom: Creating a Trauma-Informed Culture.
For more information about Trauma-Informed trainings for your organization, please contact us at ifci@ohioguidestone.org.
