Reducing Trauma in the Classroom: Principles, Strategies, Methods,

1
Reducing Trauma in the ClassroomPrinciples,
Strategies, Methods, Skills

• Howard Robinson, D.S.W. Ineke Way,
  Ph.D.
• Fordham University Western Michigan
  University

CSWE APM WASHINGTON D.C. 2012
2
Dr. Virginia Strand, DSW
Dr. Robert Abramovitz M.D.
3
Background
Competency in trauma-informed practice is an
imperative for social work education
CSWE (2012) Advanced Social Work Practice in
Trauma The imperative for graduate social work
education to prepare students for competent
trauma-informed practice with individuals,
families, groups, organizations, and communities
stems from social workers prominence as members
of the largest mental health profession treating
trauma survivors.

4
Need to Recognize Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)

• CSWEs guidelines for Advanced Social Work
  Practice in Trauma specify the need for social
  workers to recognize and address STS
• CSWE Competency 2.1.1. Identify as a
  professional social worker and conduct oneself
  accordingly
• Advanced practitioners
• Recognize the importance of practitioner and
  organizational self-care and resilience in
  trauma-informed social work practice.
• Identify and differentiate the signs and symptoms
  of secondary traumatic stress/vicarious trauma,
  compassion fatigue, and burnout.
• Use self-reflection and self-care practice to
  prevent and address secondary traumatic
  stress/vicarious trauma in self and organization
• Know how to identify and model what constitutes
  safety for the client, the organization, and self

5
Purpose
REDUCE SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS IN THE
CLASSROOM
As educators who train social workers in
trauma-informed practice, we have a
responsibility to create class environments that
safeguard students from developing secondary
traumatic stress. Our purpose is to teach
principles, methods, strategies and skills when
teaching trauma content so that educators can
reduce the possibility of secondary traumatic
stress among students and increase student
awareness in the process.

6
Workshop Goals
1. Engage in an experiential process to
facilitate your understanding and management of
secondary traumatic stress (STS) in the
classroom 2. Teach key principles to follow when
presenting class material that contains explicit
trauma content 3. Provide strategies, methods,
and skills to reduce secondary traumatic stress
with students in the class room

7
Trauma Concepts
TRAUMA AN ADVERSE LIFE-EVENT Trauma results
from adverse life experiences that overwhelm and
individuals capacity to cope and to adapt
positively to whatever threat he or she
faces. Bessel Van der Kolk, 1996 TRAUMATIC
STRESS THE EFFECT OF THE EVENT An event
becomes traumatic when its adverse effect
produces feelings of helplessness and lack of
control, and thoughts that ones survival may
possibly be in danger.
8
Trauma Concepts
SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS EXPOSURE TO TRAUMATIC
EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS Secondary traumatic stress
relates to the natural and consequential
behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing
about a traumatizing event experienced by a
significant other or client and the stress
resulting from helping or wanting to help a
traumatized or suffering person or client
(Figley, 1995, p. 7). STS results from engaging
in an empathic relationship with an individual
suffering from a traumatic experience and bearing
witness to the intense or horrific experiences of
that particular persons trauma (Figley, 1995).
The symptoms of secondary traumatic stress mirror
the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) experienced by the primary victim of
trauma. The experience of secondary traumatic
stress may include a full range of PTSD symptoms,
such as intrusive thoughts, traumatic memories or
nightmares associated with client trauma,
insomnia, chronic irritability or angry
outbursts, fatigue, difficulty concentrating,
avoidanceof clients and client situations, and
hyper-vigilant or startle reactions toward
stimuli or reminders of client trauma (APA, 1994
Bride, 2007 Rothschild, 2000Figley, 1995).
Newell and MacNeil, 2010, p. 60
9
CONDITIONS OF SAFETY

• The goal is to establish a safe container in
  which one can risk and share
• We need to establish our role, our purpose, and
  attend to boundaries
• We do not engage in therapy

Principle 1 A safe setting is required in order
to present material that challenges personal
safety
10
Self-Awareness
NOTICE Become mindful of reactions NAME
Identify what the reactions are FRAME View
reactions as traumatic stress TAME Bring
reactions under ones understanding
and control
Mindfulness is a mental state whereby one
attends to and purposefully manages ones
awareness of what is happening in the moment.
Pamela Hyde, SAMHSA
PRINCIPLE 2 Self-Awareness is Key In order to
Tame stress, we need to Notice, Name, and
Frame responses to trauma content.
11
Relaxation
Breathe 3 In Breathe 5 Out
Breathe to a count of 7 HOLD Breath out
12
Self-Assessment

• Sample items from the ProQOL (Stamm, 2009)
• I think I might have been affected by the
  traumatic stress of those I help (9)
• Because of my helping, I have felt on edge
  about various things (11)
• I feel depressed because of the traumatic
  experiences of the people I help (13)
• I feel as though I am experiencing the trauma of
  someone I have helped (14)
• I avoid certain activities or situations because
  they remind me of frightening experiences of the
  people I help (23)

Method Use small group sharing to explore how
students experience stress, and strategies that
students use to cope with stress
13
Principle 3 Working with trauma material
requires self-care preparation and on-going
self-care
14
IBRAHIM
IBRAHIM
15
IBRAHIMS NARRATIVE
A BRIDGE COLLAPSE
16
SENSORY OVERLOAD
17
 
Responses to Ibrahims Narrative
18
REFLECTION
What sensations, feelings, and thoughts did you
have while experiencing Ibrahims trauma
narrative?
Please share within your group
19
Categories of Reactions

• SOMATIC
• Racing pulse
• Muscle tension in face, neck, or shoulders
• Tightening of stomach
• Pressure on the chest
• Change in breathing

• AFFECTIVE
• Feelings of dread, panic, fear, sadness
• Feelings out of the blue
• Absence of feeling, emotional numbness

• COGNITIVE
• Racing, irrational thoughts
• Confusion, flooding

 4. BEHAVIORAL Wanting to leave the room,
flee Fidgeting
20
REFLECTION
In what ways might your responses be similar to
what you as a social worker would experience
while working with clients who have experienced
trauma?
Principle 4 Experiential learning provides
direct application to practice situations.
21
CLASSROOM
FIELD
TRAUMA EXPERIENCE
TRAUMA NARRATIVE
P A R A L L E L
P R O C E S S
STUDENT
CLIENT
22

• Four Major Principles to Promote In Class
• Safety Create a safe setting
• Awareness Notice, Name, Frame, and Tame
• Self-Care Consciously plan for stress relief
• Application Use experience to promote parallel
  process thinking

23
Reducing Trauma in the ClassroomPrinciples,
Strategies, Methods, Skills

• Howard Robinson, D.S.W. Ineke Way,
  Ph.D.
• Fordham University Western Michigan
  University

CSWE APM WASHINGTON D.C. 2012