"Trauma-informed educational practices is a mindset, an acceptance of diversity, including background, knowledge, skills, and life experiences, and an understanding that some of those life experiences may be varied and include trauma" (Najjar, 2023; Najjar et al., 2022). Adverse childhood experiences like poverty, neglect, and exposure to violence, including discrimination and racism, can induce overwhelming stress. Chronic stress and trauma can impact the brain’s cognitive and memory centers, derailing learning and triggering behaviors such as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

Beginning to understand trauma, recognizing it, and responding to it requires a mindset shift focused on providing a structure to support students, faculty, and staff in creating a learning environment free of discrimination and trauma, which fosters resilience. Trauma-informed educational practices can be seen as restorative of former and current trauma and/or preparation for the future by building resilience. 

The profound antidote to addressing trauma is human relationships, and if these relationships are positive, they can buffer the effects of stress and trauma. We have the power to decide whether we want our systems and institutions to be a place of trauma and re-trauma or a place of healing.

REFERENCE: Najjar, R., Jacobs, S., Keeney, S., Vidal, G., & Noone, J. (2022). Reflections on the Process of Implementing Trauma-Informed Education Lunch and Learns. Nurse Educator, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001338

REFERENCE: Najjar, R. (2023, January 25). Trauma-informed approach provides framework for achieving health equity. Campaign for Action. https://campaignforaction.org/trauma-informed-approach-provides-framework/

Achieving health equity requires a collective effort across and within healthcare disciplines. The 2020-2030 Future of Nursing report outlined the role of nurse educators and the learning environment in addressing social determinants of health, equity, and education. If unaddressed these determinants can undermine our ability to achieve health equity. 

Using a trauma-informed approach allows us to examine the influences of historic and systemic racism and discrimination that lead to inequities in the classroom. Students are exposed to racism and discrimination in and outside of the classroom which can be compounded by intergenerational poverty and trauma. A trauma-informed approach provides us a framework and centers equity as we adjust to changes to our individual and systemic practices, pedagogy, and policies. 

• Build a trauma-informed lens: this is a journey, not a destination.
• It is not enough to offer students remediation courses; what is required is a transformation in teaching and grading practices. This requires that we begin to accept that our practices are inequitable and work to change our practices, pedagogy, and policies.
• Embed safety and trust in all our work: this requires that we build positive relationships with students to facilitate learning and mitigate stress and the impact of current or past trauma. Keep in mind as educators that fear of failure, anxiety, and self-doubt reduce cognitive and learning abilities.
• Focus on culturally responsive practices: this requires that we are aware of and acknowledge historical and oppressive systems that have disproportionally affected racial, ethnic, and other systemically excluded groups. Our curriculum should be multicultural with positive cultural representations and provide evidence of the resilience of communities. Failing to honor and value students’ background and experiences in the classroom is another form of violence and can lead to trauma or re-trauma.

This online platform provides information in various forms including articles, books, podcasts, videos and websites. A great resource and a collaborative partner for this work is Trauma-Informed Oregon (TIO). TIO is a non-profit organization that has helped to train healthcare providers in trauma-informed care and serves as a resource for trauma-informed efforts across the state. A strong focus for trauma-informed efforts is wellness, and TIO dedicates a webpage with multiple resources on this concept of wellness. We would encourage you to learn more about viewing wellness through a trauma-informed lens.

Click through the following tabs to explore and learn more about trauma-informed educational practices.