Trauma Informed Counseling Strategies in Schools

Within the last several years, one of the buzzwords in education has been trauma informed practices. If you are unsure about this practice or just not sure what it means to be trauma informed, you are not alone. Since I am still a novice to trauma informed practices, I assume that many of my school counseling colleagues may be still learning their role as a trauma informed practitioner.

School counselors have a part to play in trauma informed systems. The American School Counselor Association issued a position statement in 2016 defining our role. Even if you school has not adopted trauma informed practices, school counselors can promote a trauma sensitive environment by identifying students affected by trauma and provide resources to students, families, and staff members. Below is a list of ways school counselors can advocate and assist students and schools.

The Scope of Trauma

The CDC reports that more than 6 million children have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression and suicide is now the second leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 15-19. During the pandemic, mental health insurance claims for teens doubled, as did self-harm and substance use. According to Dr. Lori Desautels, when a student's nervous system suffers from toxic stress (whether abuse, bullying, neglect, medical procedures, violence), they come to school in a survival state which reduces their ability to problem solve and rationalize. In addition, Dr. Bessel van der kolk reported that 71% of students have experienced at least one form of victimization and that the US is one of the most violent, stressed, and traumatized countries in the world.

What is Trauma?

SAMSHA defines trauma as extreme stress brought on by shocking or unexpected circumstances or events that overwhelm a person's ability to cope. The person's experience of these events determines if the event is traumatic, not the event itself. Therefore, two students can experience the same event, but have completely different reactions.

Emergence of Trauma Informed Practices

So, how did the concept trauma emerge into the medical field beyond just the diagnosis of PTSD? In the 1990s, a diet doctor in San Diego was working with obese patients in his practice. He was seeing a lady who had lost 80lbs and congratulated her on her success. The lady left his office that day feeling more confident and prouder of her accomplishment. In her follow up appointment (three months later), the doctor was shocked that she had gained back all of the weight she had lost. In his inquiry about her weight gain, she explained that a colleague at work had noticed her weight loss and asked her out to dinner. She immediately had a flashback of her childhood and the incest she experienced from a relative. The doctor discovered that her eating was a way to regulate her emotions and it was a way to hide from men. His findings prompted the desire to know more about childhood experiences and trauma. The doctor, in a partnership with Kaiser Permanente, studied 17,000 people and discovered that the more trauma or ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) a person developed before the age of 18 the more chances the person had of developing a chronic disease. This study has been lauded by the medical community as the first real study showing that trauma is a pervasive problem in society. In fact, trauma has always been around, but we just don't see it.

CDC - ACEs Influence on Health & Well-being

School Counselor Experiences and Trauma

Often, school counselors are called on to be the experts in the building when it comes to dealing with students who are dysregulated or exhibit trauma symptoms. According to Tommy Wells in the article, School Counselor Perceptions and Knowledge of Trauma-Informed Practices, the research concluded that even though counselors are knowledgeable about trauma informed practices, many are not prepared to implement these practices into their school counseling departments. When a student is dysregulated, they are often in a survival state and employ behaviors they have helped them to survive in the past. Even though a student may be in a safe environment at school or in your office, they often are in a state of hyperarousal and may be employing negative behaviors to regulate. As a school counselor, our central nervous systems must be strong enough to hold self and student in that moment. If the school counselor is dysregulated, they will never be able to regulate the student. Dr. Stephen Porches in his research on the autonomic nervous system found that human beings broadcast physiological states in both their voices and faces. Because emotions are contagious, it is easy to get upset with students who are displaying trauma responses because they often look disrespectful and entitled. As a school counselor, it is important to use brain science to proactively maintain our own mental health so can co-regulate with students. When students feel heard, their heart rhythm changes and they can engage their pre-frontal cortex to think, to be creative, to pause, and hold attention. School counselors who provide protection and safety for kids and do not take a student's behavior personally can make a student feel safe. This is good and bad news for school counselors. School counselors who have training in trauma informed solutions can identify when trauma shows up in our students.

Preparation as a Trauma Informed School Counselor

As a school counselor and educator, you face trauma daily in your career. In fact, it is inevitable. Becoming trauma informed starts with preparation and awareness about trauma in others and ourselves. Dr. Lori Desautels has created the Four Pillars of Applied Educational Neuroscience to help educators to share their calm with others. The first pillar in Dr. Desautels' model is the regulation of the educator's nervous system. Dr. Desautels states that behavior management really begins with the educator and our dysregulation and bad behaviors emerge out of our bodies from our nervous system. When a student enters our office, the school counselor sets the tone of their space for responding to their trauma. If we carry trauma in our bodies, we may become triggered with the student's behavior. Andy Carr, a principal in Indiana, believes we must be prepared to address trauma when it shows up at school. Mr. Carr gives some strategies that all educators, including school counselors, can employ:

1. Script a trauma conversation before it happens.

2. Practice your trauma conversation and solicit feedback.

3. Rely on your collective or tribe for support after a traumatic situation occurs.

The second pillar to help educators is to make your biology priority by regulating your own central nervous system. If you are not regulated, you cannot lend the student your nervous system. Being regulated will lead to pillar three known as touch points. Touch points are micro moments of connection and validation through meaningful and positive non-verbal expressions like facial expressions and tone. The last pillar that can be employed by educators is to include the language of the nervous system in your conversations with students. This means that school counselors understand that negative behaviors are only signals and identifies where the student is in their brain. School counselors know the language and can teach it to the students. Once educators understand these trauma principles, they may begin to respond differently to students.

Understanding Your ACEs

According to Dr. Jason Smith, we model the behaviors we see growing up. From the time we are in the womb, we have experiences that make us who we are, and this includes our socialization in organizations. At school, both adults and students need to feel safe! Dr. Bruce Perry believes that we are more likely to recover from trauma when we have supportive relationships. One of the responsibilities of educators is to work on ourselves so we can be better for our students and our loved ones. Without our awareness, our bodies and behavior show our own trauma. Awareness is transformational!

In order to know your own trauma, consider taking the ACEs assessment to discover your score. Unfortunately, your ACE score will never change, but is a way of knowing your challenges and possible risks. In fact, most people in the helping professions tend to have higher ACE scores and self-care is vital.

Next Steps If You Want to Know More

Now, that you are more aware of how trauma informed practices can be employed within a counseling department, it can be helpful to learn more about becoming a trauma informed practitioner. Below are many resources, information, and training opportunities you can employ. In addition, here are some additional tips you can employ:

Be involved in creating a trauma informed organization.

This can be accomplished by some simple strategies.

1. Educate all involved parties (teachers, administrators, parapros, clerical staff) on trauma awareness and the disruptions caused by childhood trauma.

2. Encourage your administrators to infuse of trauma awareness in your organization's practices/policies.

3. Collaborate with other agencies and professionals.

4. Provide social-emotional learning strategies and behavioral interventions.

5. Seek the best available science to support children and family's recovery/resiliency.

The free downloadable ebook, Helping Traumatized Students Learn, provides an action plan for schools to develop a trauma sensitive perspective. Download additional resources from Trauma Sensitive Schools.

An additional resource: Building a Trauma Aware School can produce guidance on how to build a trauma competent school.

In conclusion, here are the additional resources you can search to begin your trauma informed journey.