Who Gets Referred to School-Based Trauma Treatment? A Descriptive Analysis of Bounce Back and Support for Students Exposed to Trauma

Abstract

This study describes one district's experience having counselors deliver, for the first time, a school-based treatment to address student trauma symptoms. After their initial training, school counselors rated Bounce Back (K-5th grade) and Support for Students Exposed to Trauma (5th−12th grade) as highly acceptable and anticipated a positive impact on student functioning (i.e., reduced trauma symptoms, improved coping skills). All 56 counselors identified students clinically appropriate for the intervention, and all initiated at least one treatment group within 6 months. Among secondary schools, far fewer boys were screened for eligibility, and there was a trend (p = 0.064) towards a greater propensity to screen White students than nonwhite students. Across both school levels, students screened for trauma treatment had more disciplinary concerns relative to their peers; screened secondary school students also had worse school attendance and lower ratings of school climate. Study limitations include a largely White sample, unequal cell sizes for comparisons, and a narrow range of variables available for examination. Findings suggest that school counselors, in partnership with the broader school community, can readily identify students who could benefit from trauma treatment and can play an important role in expanding access to evidence-based interventions for trauma.