Adverse life experiences (trauma) has an impact on students and the entire school system. When school counselors and administrators understand the multiple ways trauma can impact all stakeholders, they are empowered to tailor their leadership and school counseling program to accurately meet the needs of students and staff.

We know that we are in unprecedented times and our delivery of school counseling services must change. It is vital that we understand the long and short term impact adversity and trauma has on human behavior so that we can assess and implement a program that meets the needs of our students.

Upon completion of this course, school counselors and leaders will understand the impact of trauma on the human nervous system. They will know the multiple ways humans respond to the threat of their sense of safety at all ages, and gain tools for implementing responsive services. The attendee will have exact next steps mapped out so they can begin implementation.

Each module will follow the topics listed and answer the questions. Each module will also provide PDF takeaways to implement in staff meetings, group counseling sessions, advisory, or individual sessions with students. This course is designed to be highly informative and practical in application.

Module 1 (3 hours) Understanding Student and Staff Interactions

• What qualifies as trauma and why it is sometimes difficult to determine
• What happens to the human brain and nervous system when traumatized
• Why it is sometimes difficult to regulate self
• What trauma looks like at each age
• How do traumatized staff present themselves at work
• What do staff members need from students and administrators
• How students react when staff is dysregulated due to trauma
• How staff and students keep each other dysregulated
• How staff and administrators keep each other dysregulated
• Teaching and Implementation strategies for your program

Module 2 (3 hours) Building a Program with Adequate Responsive Services

• Why meeting the needs of students only is not enough
• How to think comprehensively and not get lost in the details
• How to get administrators on board
• Review resources available to use
• Building common language among administrators, staff and students around experiences and self regulation
• A framework for where to start and how to build year to year

Module 3 (3 hours) Self Assess - Are You Ready to keep yourself and Others Safe?

• Understanding how our “help” can sometimes contribute to the problem
• What does self care realistically look like
• Practical steps, tips, and strategy for being a safe person to everyone on campus
• How to not feel so overwhelmed and alone
• Practical tools, strategies and support to implement immediately for self and staff