Trauma-Informed Care as a Framework to Reduce Trauma and Violence in Schools

Abstract

Exposure to adverse or traumatic events in childhood has been linked to a host of negative and lasting effects on health and well-being throughout the life course (Anda et al. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 256(3):174 186, 2006). Students who are suffering from the effects of trauma may experience alterations in their thinking, mood, or patterns of reactivity that may contribute to or compound academic difficulties. A student’s behavior may escalate quickly to violence due to profound physiological dysregulation, and/or they may subsequently experience harsh or punitive consequences for their maladaptive behaviors that are re-traumatizing, and may lead to further distress. Both outcomes may jeopardize the safety of the student and those around them. How school personnel respond to trauma-exposed students can decrease the compounding effects of trauma, and can create a safer school experience for everyone (Rivard et al. Ther Community, 26(1):83 96, 2005). This chapter will provide a framework for how trauma-informed care (TIC) can create a culture of safety that can decrease violence in schools. Drawing on emerging data from trauma systems transformation projects and the empirical literature, this chapter will explore the tenets and assumptions of trauma-informed care, propose intervention, and data strategies for integration of trauma-informed care into a Multi-tiered Systems of Support model, and provide essential elements of a data-driven, trauma-informed approach to reducing trauma and violence in schools. Case examples are provided to illustrate concepts.