This study explores the impact of secondary traumatic stress (STS) on first-year teachers (FYTs) and the potential of trauma-informed practices (TIP) as a mitigating strategy. STS, which results from exposure to students' trauma, is a significant but underexplored issue in education. By examining the first year of teaching, this mixed-methods…

College student suicide is increasing but little research addresses it. We examine student-housing-staff responses to student suicide using meaning making, trauma theory, and trauma-informed counseling. The phenomenological study included 11 participants who experienced student suicide on campus. Student staff experienced trauma, guilt, and…

In the United States, approximately two-thirds of children will be exposed to a traumatic event by the age of 16. Experiencing trauma can impact domains of positive development that may affect functioning at school. These challenges can alter learning and lead students to require a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment to determine if…

Background: Caregivers play a crucial role in supporting trauma-affected foster children by offering emotional stability and comfort. Caregivers face significant emotional, practical and systemic challenges despite their critical contributions. Limited research explores their experiences in providing trauma-informed care, creating a gap in…

Using virtual reality (VR), six journalism students were given training on how to cover a protest that turns violent. The goal was to investigate if VR could help increase awareness of and resilience to the physical and psychological dangers of journalistic work. Pre- and post-interviews were analyzed for themes associated with learning and…

Agricultural educators have had a profound impact on their students since the SBAE program's inception. Many of these students have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and utilize their agricultural educator(s) as a role model due to the strong multi-year, teacher-student relationship they are able to form. This relationship is one of…

There is a growing body of research documenting the impact of traumatic stress on child development, which has resulted in a call to action for trauma-informed practices as a priority, yet implementation within schools and training for educators is lacking (American Academy of Physicians,…

In response to the urgent need for teachers to be better equipped with strategies for responding to students who suffer the effects of complex trauma (CT), this inter-disciplinary study investigated the lived experiences of professionals (social workers, psychologists, criminal justice workers and community workers) working with school students…

English language teachers, especially those working with refugees and vulnerable populations, are at risk of empathy-based stress (e.g., burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma). Due to conditions prevalent in the English language teaching context and relationships of trust that develop classrooms, instructors may inadvertently be exposed to…

When working with students with disabilities who are prone to trauma, it is vital for teachers to be able to identify and manage trauma. Given that students with disabilities have varying levels of trauma, this study assessed teachers' self-reported competence toward trauma identification and trauma-informed practice among students with…

Young children experience traumatic events at high rates. Early childhood special education programs are an optimal time for implementing trauma-informed care. Minimal research has been done to understand early childhood special education teachers' attitudes and experiences with trauma-informed care. Using a convergent mixed methods approach, this…

Climate change is a well-documented challenge for human societies where human actions have spurred global warming leading to climate breakdown. Ecological disasters are already affecting the mental health of many people, and this is escalating. By painting elephants, I address "ambiguous" loss and demonstrate the power of art therapy to…

Preschool teachers are frontline workers to the mental health crisis, and commonly have very little to no training in identifying students with trauma symptoms. This qualitative case study examined the State Change trauma training program located in Vermont in the United States. This study explored how this program trained preschool teachers…

This study examined preservice teacher coursework and experiences related to student trauma, classroom management, and self-care during a junior-year clinical placement (N = 25), as well as through follow-up interviews with a subgroup of participants one year later (N = 8). An inductive, thematic analysis led to the identification of four broad…

Higher education seeks the student voice through various approaches. However, including students with diverse learner needs (DLN) in these approaches poses challenges when hierarchy is present. Through self-reflection and collaboration with co-researchers, I engaged in heuristic inquiry to develop a framework for engaging in an inclusive approach…