Trauma-informed care in school settings

Trauma is a fact of life and a reality for many of our clients. Childhood trauma can have a significant effect on the sensory systems, attachment and capacity for regulation (Beacon House Psychological Services Ltd, 2020), on school performance (e.g., Jiminez et al., 2016), and can limit occupational participation in education, social participation, and play. While a child may be referred to occupational therapy for sensory needs, feeding, attention, social skills or a number of other reasons, occupational therapists need to understand the effects of underlying trauma on occupations (Edgelow et al., 2019) and create safer spaces (Trentham et al., 2022) to avoid retraumatizing and promote occupational participation. 

Course overview 

This online course offers occupational therapy professionals an opportunity to better understand the impact of trauma in children and be able to provide trauma-informed services to children in school settings. This four-part online course includes a combination of videos, quizzes, assignments, and discussion boards covering the following topics.

• Part 1 (approximately 2.5 hours): Understanding trauma, its prevalence and the neurobiology of trauma. Types of trauma. All about the brain and the impact that trauma has. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Brain growth. Attachments and how they are formed, what is critical and how it is an added element in trauma – often interlinked. Polyvagal theory. Memory and how it is impacted by trauma. Interoceptive system. Survival loop and threat response systems. Behaviours and perceived threats.
• Part 2 (approximately 1 hour): Survival strategies and how to identify them. Trauma triggers. Trauma re-enactments. Impact of trauma on learning and occupational participation.
• Part 3 (approximately 1 hour): Becoming trauma informed - what does that mean? Window of tolerance. Mirror neurons. Relationships and co-regulation.
• Part 4 (approximately 3 hours): Occupational therapy role. Trauma and occupation models. Window of tolerance. Co-regulating feelings. Relational repair. Key principles of safer environments. Stress management. Teaching organizational strategies. Cost of caring. Reflection exercise - summary of learning.

Learning objectives 

 By the end of this online course, you will be able to:

• Explain the connection between attachment and trauma and the impact of trauma on the developing brain.
• Recognize what trauma looks like in the school setting.
• Re-frame student behaviour through the trauma lens.
• Describe how trauma impacts occupational participation in the school setting.
• Implement practical strategies for supporting children and youth with trauma in the school setting.

Target audience 

This online course is ideal for occupational therapy professionals (including occupational therapist clinicians, educators, and researchers; occupational therapist assistants; and students in occupational therapy programs) working with school-aged children in a school, clinic or other community setting who wish to increase their knowledge and skills in providing trauma-informed services. Participants will gain a renewed sense of confidence when working with children and their families living with the detrimental effects of trauma. 

Experience level 

Beginner (0-2 years of experience in this specific practice area)

Client age groups 

Young children (0-4 years old), Children (5-12 years old), Adolescents (13-19 years old) 

Areas of practice 

Advocacy, Education, Health Promotion & Wellness, Mental Health, Pediatrics, Psychotherapy 

Time commitment 

Approximately 7.5 hours

Language

English

Presenter 

Megan Land McCarthy, O.T. Reg. (MB), has been practicing as an occupational therapist for over 17 years, primarily with children and in various practice environments. She currently follows a family-centred practice in a community-based mental health setting with a focus on children in care, with medical trauma, or living with mental health co-morbidities (anxiety, depression, OCD, ASD, ADHD, neurodevelopmental disorders, trauma and history of child abuse). Her work also includes a focus on working with adults who have a history of developmental trauma. She has a postgraduate certificate in Behavioral Intervention in Autism from University of Massachusetts and a Masters in Rehabilitation Sciences from the University of Manitoba. Megan has also received training in and uses the following tools to guide her therapy plans: Sensory integration, Modified Interaction Guidance, Theraplay, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Attachment Theory, Somatic Experiencing and Somatic Resilience and Regulation.