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.