Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools

FREE WEBINAR
Help for Stressed Educators During COVID-19: Noticing and Meeting Teacher Needs as Schools Reopen

In the United States, at least one in four youth experiences trauma severe enough to negatively affect their school success.* Give hope and help to these students with this reader-friendly how-to guide, your springboard for building responsive, trauma-sensitive preK-12 schools.

Drawing on her extensive experience as a school counselor, trainer, and mother, trauma expert Jen Alexander delivers a comprehensive framework for building a safe, supportive school environment that helps all students learn and thrive. You'll start with an evidence-based introduction to the profound impact of trauma on a child's development, attachment, and behavior. Then you'll get an effective multi-tier system of support (MTSS) for developing a trauma-sensitive learning environment, including both universal strategies (Tier 1) and more intensive interventions (Tier 2 and Tier 3) for students who need more support. Compelling anecdotes and sample scripts illuminate challenges and solutions, and the included forms and worksheets are valuable tools for helping educators build the mindset and skills necessary for becoming trauma-sensitive. With this engaging, highly practical guide to what works and why, your school team will gain insights and develop action plans that make a real difference in the lives of all kids, including our most vulnerable youth.

DISCOVER HOW TO:

• make five key shifts in the way you view and approach students, so that you (TM)re better equipped to support them
• work together to prioritize resilience by actively putting relationships first in your school
• implement universal instructional strategies that foster safety, connection, regulation, and learning for all students
• use special supports, supplemental instruction, and coaching when universal strategies aren't enough
• collaborate effectively with families and colleagues to meet each student's needs
• incorporate restorative discipline practices that focus on restitution, not retribution
• create a personalized self-care plan to promote wellness and reduce the effects of job-related stress

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Creative activities for teachers, powerful case stories, sample dialogues and scripts for educators and counselors, reflection and brainstorming worksheets, downloadable forms, and templates and handouts for use with students.

Build resilience by helping all students

• Feel safe
• Be connected
• Get regulated
• Learn

Discover the NEW ebook from Jen Alexander: Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19

* National Child Traumatic Stress Network Schools Committee, 2008

About the Author

Jen Alexander is a school counselor, speaker and consultant for Attachment and Trauma Network (ATN), and a co-leader of their Trauma Sensitive Task Force, in charge of professional development trainings for schools and districts. Ms. Jen is an educator with over fifteen years of experience helping youth (some traumatized, some not) as a former special education teacher and current school counselor in Iowa. She holds degrees in psychology and special education teaching, as well as a masters degree in professional school counseling from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a nationally certified counselor and registered school-based play therapist. Jen is also a mom, presenter, and someone who appreciates all things creative.