Teaching

Students
Living With
Trauma
Elena Perrello, EdD
School Counselor
eperrello@rsu63.org
Creating Safety in Your
Classroom

1) Who are you?
2) What are you feeling right now?
3) What is your goal for this session?
4) Who can you ask for help?

Sandra Bloom The Sanctuary Model
hIp://sanctuaryweb.com/TheSanctuaryModel.aspx
Todays learners
will be able to:
Dene trauma
Understand how trauma
aects the body and brain
IdenUfy possible student
reacUons to trauma
Describe useful strategies
for teaching students who
experience trauma

What types of trauma do
students experience?

Please brainstorm a list with the

people siVng around you.
Trauma may include.
How does trauma affect
the brain?
Think about a Ume you
experienced stress.

How did it aect your body?

How did it aect your thinking?
Toxic Stress Derails
Healthy Development

Video from Harvard Universitys

Center on the Developing Child
hIps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=chhQc0HShCo
Exposure to Trauma can
impact student ability to:
Focus or maintain aIenUon
Develop language skills properly
Communicate wants and needs eecUvely
Organize and remember new informaUon
AIend to classroom acUviUes
TransiUon from one task to another
Follow step-by-step instrucUons
Comply with adult direcUves
Grasp cause and eect relaUonships easily
Engage in creaUve play
Problem-solve
Resolve conict
IniUate and culUvate healthy interpersonal
relaUonships
Respond to cues in the environment objecUvely
 What are some emotional
symptoms of student trauma?
intense anger, irritability, mood swings
guilt, shame or self-blame
feeling sad, hopeless and depressed
diculty concentraUng and focusing
withdrawing /isolaUng from others
appearing disconnected, numb or zoned out with
a blank stare
anxiety or fear

 What are some physical
symptoms of student trauma?
Behavioral
Symptoms.
What are some behavioral
symptoms of student trauma?
(Get ATTENTION,
Get CONTROL,
Get COMFORT)

Behavioral symptoms continued....
(Get ATTENTION, Get CONTROL,
Get COMFORT)
What are some behavioral symptoms
of student trauma?
(Get ATTENTION, Get CONTROL, Get
COMFORT)
Behavioral symptoms continued....
(Get ATTENTION, Get CONTROL,
Get COMFORT)
Potential Triggers
Aces Resilience Video

hIps://vimeo.com/137282528

Resilience trailer
What
might
help.?
What do I do?
 What do I do?

hIp://www.acesconnecUon.com/blog/trauma-informed-support-for-children-a-follow-
up-to-what-lies-beneath-behavior
How can we best respond when a student
is having a posttraumatic stress response?
How can we provide a safe
learning environment?
Creating a Safe Classroom
Environment Cont.
What can help a student manage
trauma?
Samanthas Story
Background cont
What advice
would you
give to
Samathas
English, Math
and/or PE
teachers?
 Sources:

hIps://www.edutopia.org/blog/addressing-our-needs-maslow-
hierarchy-lori-desautels
 Check out:
https://ssetprogram.org/sset/
course/contentpage/1524

suport for students exposed to

trauma free training
SSET