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

1. Reducing Trauma in the Classroom:Principles, 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) • CSWE’s 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 individual’s 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 one’s 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 person’s 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, 2000;Figley, 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 one’s understanding and control “Mindfulness is a mental state whereby one attends to and purposefully manages one’s 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. IBRAHIM’S NARRATIVE A BRIDGE COLLAPSE

16. SENSORY OVERLOAD

17. Responses to Ibrahim’s Narrative

18. REFLECTION “What sensations, feelings, and thoughts did you have while experiencing Ibrahim’s 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 Classroom:Principles, Strategies, Methods, & Skills Howard Robinson, D.S.W. Ineke Way, Ph.D. Fordham University Western Michigan University CSWE APM WASHINGTON D.C. 2012