This article aims to illuminate the perceptions of a pilot grief- and trauma-informed empowerment arts summer program for adolescents who lived in an at-risk Southern, urban neighborhood identified by the city in question as having a high percentage of street violence. The study it is based on was grounded in qualitative techniques, which…

Trauma is a prevalent condition that impacts individuals, groups, and populations. Trauma informed care (TIC) is a strengths-based approach that was developed to address the pervasiveness of trauma and prevent re-traumatization. Occupational therapy practitioners are likely to encounter individuals and groups who have experienced trauma and need…

Group therapy is an effective modality to treat various mental health concerns and is proven to have significant interpersonal benefits. Despite the high prevalence of sexual violence amongst college-aged women, there are limited contemporary models for providing a trauma-specific group for this population. This article describes an innovative…

Iredell-Statesville Schools was awarded an early-phase Education Innovation Research grant. RIPPLE: Reducing disparities and Implementing strategies to Promote Proactive Learning Environments was an innovative approach to improving behavioral outcomes for the district's highest risk students by reshaping the schools' culture, staff, and systems…

The purpose of this research study was to create an awareness of Trauma Informed Practices through Professional Development provided to the faculty at an elementary school. The study investigated how participants' classroom practices, relationships, and interactions with students are altered or changed after learning about childhood trauma.…

Trauma-informed care is a relatively new construct in K-12 education, and districts across the United States are seeking avenues to meet the needs of their students. The COVID-19 pandemic elevated the need for districts to develop appropriate supports to address student and adult trauma. Traumatic events can affect a child's mental, physical,…

Childhood trauma has been receiving increased attention and it is increasingly being recognized as a significant public health concern (Lang, Campbell, & Vanerploeg, 2015). Trauma exposure involves "actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence" that is either directly experienced or witnessed, or learning that any…

High school students need Social Emotional learning integrated into classrooms, but what that looks like is not well defined for art educators. When one tries to look, most research points to art therapy strategies which leave art educators feeling ill-equipped to implement in their classrooms. This study explored the implementation of visual…

This article posits that the restorative practice of community circles offers middle school students a safe, empowering space where moments of social and emotional strife can be addressed and possibly prevented. It also recognizes that by creating a safe and empowering classroom community, students who have or are experiencing trauma can find…

This study investigated the effect of a school-based and teacher-led psychosocial intervention that targeted academic underachievement among conflict-affected youths. We hypothesized that participants in the intervention would experience improved school functioning and reduced levels of stress-related symptoms after the intervention, in comparison…

While the concept of trauma-informed care has been developed in other fields, its development within the field of Education is relatively new (Thomas, Crosby, & Vanderhaar, 2019), However, as the educational field is becoming more and more aware of this approach, we recognize there is a critical need for teachers and other educational…

This research was designed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a social and emotional learning (SEL) mindfulness-based school program (MindUp) for children in post-conflict Northern Uganda. In study one, we culturally adapted and implemented MindUp with 5th and 6th graders. Over a two-year period, significant decreases in children's…

Teacher candidates benefit from dynamic clinical practices embedded in teacher preparation programs. In this article, we discuss Clinical Urban Plunge (CUP), a clinically-based approach to integrating social justice and equity education in our Middle Level Teaching and Learning Program at Northern Illinois University. More specifically, we explain…

Many students who have experienced complex trauma receive special education services related to emotional and behavioral disorders at residential treatment facilities (RTFs) as they undergo therapy. One academic skill in which students with emotional and behavioral disorders often struggle is writing. The current multi-probe, multiple-baseline,…