Trauma Informed Schools

There are four different pillars of addressing trauma.

1. Safe Environment
2. Belonging
3. Social Emotional Behavioral competences
4. Regulation. 

Pillar 1: Safe Environment 

A safe environment refers to a school’s climate and culture. On a universal levels, schools need to possess a positive climate and culture where students feel safe learning, exploring and expressing themselves. Staff also want to work in an environment that feels safe and is secure.

Pillar 2: Belonging 

Schools that create a since of belonging, a basic need as indicated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs for each individual student, typically have better student attendance and fewer student behavioral challenges.  A sense of belonging also communicates safety and security. One way to create a sense of belonging is to give every student a job in the classroom environment that is unique to the student. Internal motivation can then come from the student knowing that if they are not attending school that their job is not getting done.

When teachers frequently or repeatedly send a student from the classroom to the office this communicates to the student that they are not wanted and do not belong to the class. It also might communicate that the teacher is not willing to deal with the student. The idea that teacher is unwilling to deal with the student sends a message to the student that the teacher cannot keep me safe, and it is not safe to express and share my struggles with the teacher.

Pillar 3: Social Emotional Behavioral Competencies 

With Social Emotional Behavioral competencies, it has been said that content knowledge can be what gets you a job, however it is the Social Emotional Behavioral Competencies that allow you to keep the job. Students need to know how to get along with each other, how to resolve conflicts and how to problem solve situations. There are several different social skills more commonly referred to as Social Emotional Learning (SEL).  SEL knowledge and skill helps students be successful in developing relationships, making decisions and navigating the process of learning.

Pillar 4: Regulation 

The last pillar of Trauma-informed care is regulation of emotions. Emotional regulation is a learned skill that does not come naturally. The only way to learn how to regulate your emotions is through a process called co-regulation where regulation skills are modeled by adults within the child's environment.