Consistent Behavioural Response

1. Consistent Behavioural Response Islington Trauma Informed SchoolsTraining Highbury Quadrant Monday 7th January 2019 Hannah Parnes – Educational Psychologist Freya Read – Clinical Psychologist, Islington CAMHS

2. Outline of the morning • Recap of Complex Trauma in schools • Introducing Consistent Behavioural Response • Predictability, Routines and Rituals • De-escalation • Whole School Approaches • Introduction to Mindfulness • Feedback and close

3. Aims of today’s session To remind ourselves of what we have learnt so far. To understand why it’s important to offer a consistent response to trauma-affected children. To introduce ideas about how to respond consistently to a child and see how these strategies fit with current approaches used in school. To reflect on what this might look like in practice and how to develop these ideas further at a whole-school level. To introduce the theory and practice of Mindfulness.

4. Where is your energy at?

5. Revisiting previous trainings What do you remember from the sessions you’ve had so far? Where did this take you in your thinking? Have you done anything differently since?

6. Complex Trauma - recap • Complex trauma is a response to overwhelming negative life events and experiences which happen to children over time, often within their families, communities and personal relationships. If there is no safe adult to help a child process what is happening the experience is more likely to have a traumatic effect.

7. Complex Trauma - recap • There are only a few possible responses to danger/threat: FightFlightFreeze/Flop

8. Complex Trauma - recap “Thinking brain” 4 “Emotional brain” The Amygdala senses threat and sets off the alarm. Thinking brain assesses the situation. Thinking brain goes off-line. Emotional brain activates fight or flight response. Thinking brain helps shut off the alarm and helps us to calm down.

9. Complex Trauma - recap Complex Trauma - recap

10. The ARC Framework Routines Psycho education Competency Self development and identity Executive functions Affect expression Modulation Affect identification Regulation Attunement Staff self - regulation Consistent behavioural response Attachment

11. 3 Primary Domains to be addressed ATTACHMENT Feeling safe and secure in relationships REGULATIONManaging emotions/ behaviours and tolerating experiences COMPETENCYDeveloping thinking/ problem-solving skills and a positive self-image

12. Staff Self-Regulation The important of looking after ourselves We need to be aware of and to attend to our own feelings if we want to be effective with children Dysregulated adults cannot help dysregulated children

13. Attunement • Trying to understand what is going on for our pupils and letting them know that we “get” them • Attunement has two parts: • Adopting a curious stance – an acknowledgement that the behaviour makes sense and is an expression of their unmet needs. • The desire to respond appropriately to what is beneath the surface in an empathetic, supportive and effective way.

14. Responding consistently

15. Key principles of a Trauma Informed classroom Safe relationships Predictability Opportunities for regulation Consistent and relational based strategies A whole school approach

16. Importance of predictability

17. Creating predictability in school Safe, contained, consistent response (intention) is key The child needs to know that they will get the same response from all members of staff 2 hands approach – empathy/understanding & boundaries/containment

18. Routines and rituals Visual timetables and reminders Inform class of any changes Designate spaces for specific activities Establish classroom rituals – morning handshake, afternoon goodbye, sharing compliments Mark transitions during the day e.g. moving from playground to classroom, signals to mark start and end of a task (?music, ring a bell)

19. Classroom rules Clear boundaries are important Engage children in setting class rules Provide explanation for school rules e.g. “in order to keep you safe I have to … “ Using language of safety Revisit rules regularly Remember limits can be triggering for some children

20. Exercise In small groups discuss… What rituals do you have in your classroom or area of the school you know well (e.g. lunch hall, playground, reception area)? How could you make these more explicit for children? Are there other routines/rituals you could add (for individual children or whole groups)?

22. Break

23. Where is your energy at?

24. Exercise In pairs think about a difficult situation when working with a child in the last few weeks… What was the situation? How did you respond? How did the child respond? What feelings did this bring up for you?

25. How to respond when child is dysregulated?

26. De-escalation To support a child in reducing the emotional intensity of the situation To use calm language and other communication techniques to diffuse, re-direct or de-escalate a conflict situation Kerr & Nelson (2010)

27. Connection • I care about you and I want to help you do the best you can. • I want you in my class. I want you back learning with us as soon as possible. • You are in important member of our class.

28. Identity • Use the child’s name frequently. • Remember things about them. • Ask them to tell you something about them, how they are doing or what they have been doing as part of the check in/register at the start of class. • Remember and mark birthdays.

29. Felt Safety • My job is to keep you and the rest of the class safe. • I can’t allow X because it is not safe. • (When child is dysregulated) - You are safe and I am here to help you.

30. Help child to regulate • Be a detective – notice subtle signs re change in mood • Ensure child’s safety • Model calm approach • Help child to feel safe using your body language • Stand side on at eye level or lower • Don’t demand eye contact • Talk slowly and calmly • Don’t use complex sentences • Don’t use lots of body movements • Don’t touch • Remind the child who you are, what your role is and that you are someone whose job it is to keep them safe • Acknowledge feelings • Give child choices where possible • Remind them of previous good behaviour

31. Help child to regulate • If the child wants to leave and it is safe to do so – let them. • Don’t crowd them. Don’t demand from them, don’t give complicated directions (they cannot process them). • Give child space • I am going to walk away and give you chance to think about what happened. I know when I come back we can have polite and productive talk • Offer calm down space / time out (non-punitive) / time in • Expect push back/rejection of efforts to help in that moment. Don’t be distracted by reacting to these secondary behaviours. • Focus on the primary goal of getting the child regulated, safe and ready to return to learning.

32. Once child begins to calm down… • Engage the child in simple tasks • E.g. Ask what lessons they had that morning? Who else is in their class? • Change the subject by asking for their help • I can tell you aren’t ready to go back to class yet, but I wondered if you are feeling calm enough to help me by…..? • Regulate – Relate – Reason • Weare going to keep working on keeping calm when you feel frustrated. I know it feels really hard now but the more we practice, the easier it will get.

33. Minimize the triggering impact of limit setting • Provide a rationale • Throwing pens at people can hurt them. • Link the consequence to the behaviour not the child • I care about you. I don’t think you wanted to hurt anyone but throwing is not ok. • State the boundaries of the limit • You can have a 5 minute time out to calm down or I will hold onto your pen until after lunch. • Move on after the consequence has been given • Welcome child back into class / re-engage with them positively • Make necessary adaptations

34. Less is more • Don’t get too close / in child’s space – their survival brain may lash out. • Keep language to a minimum – don’t lecture or list threats/consequences. • Don’t ask for an explanation. • Instead say “We are going to have to talk about how you spoke to X, but right now you need to take a moment to calm down” • Don’t argue/debate with the child – remind them that you will talk once they have calmed down. • Do what you need to keep yourself calm.

35. What doesn’t work Losing your temper Sarcasm Lecturing the child or making threats Talking to the child in front of their peers Trying to embarrass them, shame them or put them down Letting things go on way too long Getting into battles over eye contact (they may have had terrifying experiences of being looked at by another) ‘One size fits all’ or ‘zero tolerance’ policies Using negative body language Blaming them or yourself – it is their trauma history driving the behaviour Bringing up the past

36. Relationships can be repaired “We all make mistakes, but what matters is how we go back and fix them” R Christian

37. Restorative Conversations A repair or reparation conversation should be short, private and should be done by the adult involved in the incident The focus should be on the repair not on getting a ‘confession’ • What happened? • What were you thinking at the time? • What have you thought since? • How did this make you/others feel? • Who has been affected? • How have they been affected • How should we put things right? • How do we do things different next time?

38. Exercise In groups of 3: • 1 person is the child • 1 person is the staff member • 1 person is the observer Role play 1 (5 mins) The child is dysregulated. The staff makes all the mistakes which leads to further conflict. Role play 2(5 mins) The child is dysregulated. The staff responds in a trauma-informed way. For each role play feedback from each perspective about how the scenario played out and felt

39. Predictable challenges • There will be a number of predictable challenges when working with trauma impacted students  Get ahead of the problem • Plan how you will keep yourselfregulated • Plan how you will keep the child/ren regulated RESPONDING NOT REACTING

40. Common triggers Loss of control Confrontation, authority or limit setting Common triggers for traumatised children • Feelings of vulnerability, shame or rejection Struggling to connect with others Sensory overload (too much stimulation from the environment)

41. Exercise In groups discuss… What are the times of day/term/year that are likely to lead to increased stress or heightened emotions? What could be done to reduce the impact of this and to ‘get ahead’ of the problem?

42. Whole School Approaches Clear and open communication between staff, particularly at transition times, know who the most vulnerable are e.g. daily vulnerable students list circulated Addressing ‘predictable challenges’ e.g. known times of the day/term that are likely to lead to increased stress (for student and/or staff) Recognition boards/ Word walls A trauma-informed behaviour management system

43. Any questions

44. Feedback for Working Group Please complete the feedback sheet... 3 take home messages 3 areas/tasks/issues in relation to Consistent Behavioural Response for the Working Group to explore/develop further

45. Thank you If you have any questions please contactyour ITIPS clinician Maria Corrigan mariacorrigan@nhs.net