Trauma Informed Care
Lewisville ISD Guidance and Counseling
What is Trauma Informed Care?
What does trauma look like for our students?
Situations that can be traumatic:
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Abandonment
- Neglect
- The death or loss of a loved one
- Life-threatening violence in a caregiver
- Witnessing domestic violence
- Automobile accidents or other serious accidents
- Bullying
- Life-threatening health situations and/or painful medical procedures
- Witnessing or experiencing community violence (e.g., shootings, stabbings, robbery, or fighting at home, in the neighborhood, or at school)
- Witnessing police activity or having a close relative incarcerated
- Life-threatening natural disasters
- Acts or threats of terrorism (viewed in person or on television)
- Living in chronically chaotic environments in which housing and financial resources are not consistently available
—NCTSN Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators
What Does it Look Like for Teens?
- Have flashbacks to the event, nightmares, or other sleep problems
- Avoid reminders of the event
- Abuse drugs, alcohol, or tobacco
- Act disruptive, disrespectful, or destructive
- Have physical complaints
- Feel isolated, guilty, or depressed
- Lose interest in hobbies and interests
- Have suicidal thoughts
- Strong emotions such as sadness, anxiety, fear and guilt
- Return to younger behaviors
- Difficulties with short-term memory, concentration, and problem-solving
Source: National Institute of Mental Health and Better Health Channel
Getting Started With Trauma-Informed Practices
Tips to Help Teenagers with Trauma
There are a number of strategies that can be put in place to help a teenager resolve traumatic reactions.
Some common suggestions include:
Some common suggestions include:
- Encourage the young person to communicate without judging or advising them until they ask for your feedback.
- Show them that you really care for them and are genuinely interested and enjoy being with them.
- Negotiate changes in roles and responsibilities during recovery and be flexible. Don’t try to stick rigidly to the way things were before the event.
- Continue to give love, support and trust, even if things are extremely difficult.
- Remember your teenager is the same person they were before the event, even if they seem different.
- If asked, gently let the young person know that they are having a ‘normal’ reaction to a frightening experience and that in time these very strong reactions will subside.
Source: Better Health Channel