Addressing Trauma in the Classroom
•Acknowledge that each individual has experienced trauma differently and the influence of socioeconomic status, intersectional identities, and access to resources.
•Review policies stated in the syllabus to ensure they promote equality. Include self care and on campus resources in the syllabus
•Check in with students to see how they are doing at the beginning of class and periodically during class time. Avoid making assumptions about an individual’s circumstances and seek to understand what they are going through
•Promote interaction among students in the classroom to establish a sense of community. Decreasing the sense of isolation is important in supporting students through collective trauma.
•Create clear expectations along with flexibility. Allow room in your curriculum for extensions but also maintain accountability when it comes to the process and routine for adjusted deadlines and accommodations. Consider allowing for late work to be submitted or have ungraded drafts to catch major errors.
•Model and encourage self care. This can be done during a check in at the beginning of class by asking students how they are taking care of themselves, if they have anything they are looking forward to, etc. Encourage students to get enough sleep, food, social interaction, and exercise. Be aware that some students may have limitations in access to self care activities and help them think of alternative ways to practice self care. Consider implementing breathing exercises at the beginning and end of the class meetings.
•Provide content warnings prior to sensitive material presented in lectures. Consider removing material that may be more triggering or for shock value than educational. Allow students to take breaks or step away if needed. Offer support if students become activated and be receptive to feedback from the class.
•If necessary, follow up with students individually to provide resources and support if they seem activated during class.
Evaluate assignments that require students to self-disclose personal traumas or traumatic experiences. Consider eliminating the assignment or provide an alternative assignment. Requiring disclosures of trauma can be re-traumatizing and triggering for students.
•Provide supportive validation and normalizing of difficult emotions in the classroom (loss of control, overwhelm, feeling on edge). If students become escalated and angry or combative, model conflict resolution and provide resources to the student. This type of escalation is not abnormal for those experiencing trauma but should be handled in a safe manner.
(adapted from University of Buffalo: Janice Carello, MA, LMSW & Lisa D. Butler, PhD (2014) and University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Trauma Informed Teaching Toolkit (2021)).
Helpful Links
Seven Ways Professors Can Help Students Thrive In Class In Times Of Trauma.
