Types of Traumatic Stress
Bullying
Abuse
Abandonment
Illness
Traumatic Loss
Toxic Stress (PH)
Racism and community violence,
without supportive adults
Response: (PH)
Meditation (PH)
Physical exercise – prevent by reducing the sources of stress in people’s lives. (PH)
Reducing the sources of stress in people’s lives (PH)
Natural Disaster (PH)
Response: Encourage children to draw pictures, or write in journals instead of talking about the disaster with the class.(PH)
Adverse Childhood Experiences (PH)
Physical and emotional abuse,
neglect, mental illness,
and household violence
(PH)
Response:rebuild positive relationships
with authority figures
(PH)
Serious illness (PH)
Response: One-on-one interaction: cultivate trust and build rapport, sense of belonging and support. (PH)
Signs of Child Traumatic Stress
Preschool Children
Crying and/or screaming a lot
Eating poorly and losing weight
Having nightmares
Fearing separation from parents or caregivers
Elementary School Children
Becoming anxious or fearful
Feeling guilt or shame
Having a hard time concentrating
Having difficulty sleeping
Middle and High School Children
Feeling depressed or alone
Developing eating disorders and self-harming behaviors
Beginning to abuse alcohol or drugs
Becoming sexually active
Physical
Emotional
Colors
Physical Illness
Emotional Illness
Miles
Perla
Binyam
Impact of Child Traumatic Stress
Learning problems, including lower grades and more suspensions and expulsions
Increased use of health services, including mental health services
Increased involvement with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems
Long term health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease
Sources
Traumatic Events
Neglect and psychological, physical, or sexual abuse
Natural disasters, terrorism, and community and school violence
Witnessing or experiencing intimate partner violence
Commercial sexual exploitation
Response: Create a safe space in the classroom - cranky and disruptive students. where a child can take a short break to calm down, de-stress, and even take a short nap if they’re tired (PH)
Refugee and war experiences
Military family-related stressors, such as parental deployment, loss, or injury
At home
At School
Traumatic Event
Household mental illness
Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention
Cognitive behavioral therapies
Narrative Exposure Therapy
Witnessed a suicide
Witnessed the murder of a sibling
Witnessed the death of a loved one
Be developmentally appropriate
Encourage a child grieving to express feelings
Stick to routines as children find comfort in routine
Discussing an afterlife
Don’t ignore your own grief
Death of a Pet can be traumatic too
Death of Grandparents
Encourage kids to do activities and play with others
Pick good times to talk. Look for natural openings to have a discussion
Help children relax with breathing exercises
Give special help to kids with special needs
Encourage family discussions about the death of a loved one
Response: create opportunities to believe
in themselves for them to heal (PH)
Response: Create opportunities to achieve - help students feel in charge of themselves and promote feelings of self-worth and competence. (PH)
Response: Behavior and trust: Restorative discipline - meditation, counseling, and team-building exercises. (PH)
Response: Restore their faith in fairness (PH)
Familial instability or extreme poverty
Build lessons based on information learned about the students in your class
Medical Trauma
Establish a caring and believing environment
Allow students to “tell” their story
Provide opportunities for educators to learn more about children who live in poverty
Eliminate practices that limit or hinder student success
Virtual reality exposure therapy
Somatic therapy
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
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Foster cooperation and reduce competition
situations where students may be humiliated (e.g.,
peers picking teams)
Teach and reward non-violent conflict resolution and
cooperation
There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to feel
Don’t ignore your feelings—it will only slow recovery
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Reestablish routine
Put major life decisions on hold
Responses
Verbal Abuse
Gaslighting
Judging
Blaming
Discrimination: Response: Engage in activism
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Response: Build communication with the student.
Use positive reinforcement to help the student feel more self-confident and to help the student establish more self esteem.
Response: Help establish a safe community for the student to thrive. The more time they spend in your community, the less they spend in a violent community.
Response: Help reinforce student worth and importance. Use positive reinforcing language and comments.
Response: Reduce unnecessary secondary exposures & separations. Help the child by creating a safe environment where they don’t have to worry about possible separations or abandonment. Use this to help the child heal.
Response; Facilitate open but not forced communication with the child about his/her reactions to the traumatic event
Response: Monitoring and/or referring child for a clinical trauma evaluation
Response: Explain to the child in developmentally appropriate terms about the type of job and what their family member does.