Trauma-informed practices have become a buzzword within the field of education. This extended literature review and doctoral work project aim to bridge the gap between general knowledge of trauma-informed practices and an in-depth understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on elementary-aged children through the lens of…

Children's experiences of animal fears can be caused by direct conditioning, experiencing negative events, or modeling others' fears or situations. The fear of an animal that develops in a child as a result of various experiences may turn into an animal phobia over time. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of EMDR interventions for two…

Objective: Most college students have experienced an adverse event in their lifetime, yet help-seeking rates remain low. This study seeks to understand psychological factors that might contribute to delays in treatment initiation among trauma-affected students. Participants: Our sample consisted of 531 undergraduate students of which 27% scored…

Hearing the painful stories of clients (indirect trauma) has been described as an occupational hazard for professionals working with trauma survivors and is becoming more common among mental health professionals. This might include counselors struggling with intrusive thoughts and having flashbacks of victimization, counselors viewing the world as…

The number of migrants around the world has increased over the last decade, which can be attributed, in part, to increased violence from wars in the Middle East (Böhm et al., 2018; Hahnefeld, 2021; Reavell & Fazil, 2017; USA for UNHCR, 2022). About half of refugees are children (Amnesty International, 2022). These children are at risk of…

This experimental study explored the use of online expressive writing interventions to cope with distress from heterosexist events among a sample of autistic-LBGQ + individuals. This study included an open writing condition and an emotion focused therapy guided writing condition. Over 89% of the participants indicated that the writing exercises…

The Journey of Hope (JoH) is an evidence-based behavioral health prevention intervention model designed for disaster-affected children and youth. While the in-person JoH model has been extensively delivered and studied, the virtual implementation of this intervention, specifically tailored for the unique needs of children and youth during the…

In the winter of 2014, four terrorists attacked a school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), resulting in more than a hundred students' death. Twenty-two survivors (aged 10-18 years) with physical injuries were admitted to a private hospital in Karachi for further surgical and psychological interventions. The aim of this paper is to share a retrospective…

This dissertation in practice focuses on the cost of compassion in a classroom. It explores the secondary traumatic stress impacting special education teachers as they support middle and high school students daily. More specifically, this program evaluation examines how an intervention can increase teachers' understanding and awareness of their…

Migration is a complex phenomenon shaped by personal and systemic crises that disproportionately affect asylum seekers. These individuals often experience traumas spanning pre-migration, transit, and postmigration phases. This study examines the psychological impact of migration, focusing on early maladaptive schemas (EMS) which are deeply…

Purpose: Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a multifaceted disorder, and the specific diagnostic criteria developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which highlight symptoms of CPTSD (i.e., affect dysregulation, negative self-concept, disturbed relationships), that occur along with PTSD symptoms speak to this. Understanding…

Teaching youth how to self-regulate is a focus of a trauma-informed school approach. Peace Spaces, including Peace Corners and Peace Rooms, are a trauma-informed intervention used to teach self-regulation skills to students. The current study used a Consensual Qualitative Research design to identify and describe the thoughts, concerns, and…

In "Reducing Stress in Schools," Mathew Portell, Ingrid L. Cockhren, Tyisha J. Noise, Julie Kurtz, and Julie Nicholson provide a toolkit of actionable, evidence-based practices for PreK-12 teachers, administrators, and staff to support students' and adults' nervous system regulation. Rooted in the tenets of trauma-responsive education…

The purpose of this presentation is to highlight innovative partnerships between a health system, school partners and teaching artists/arts organizations to promote youth resilience. Youth mental health is worsening across the country, including increases in depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Strikingly, suicide is the…

Eye Movement Integration (EMI) is a neurobiological therapeutic technique that aims to reduce trauma symptoms by utilizing specific eye movements. This article contributes to the understanding of EMI by determining its utility with a diverse sample of 12 traumatized children, aged 5-7 years, in South Africa. The study is a replication of a…