TITLE:
Beyond Trauma Informed Practices: Recommendations for Secondary Traumatic Stress in Educators
AUTHORS:
Twianie Roberts, Annette Murray
KEYWORDS:
Trauma, Trauma Informed Practices, Secondary Traumatic Stress, Trauma Protocols, Traumatic Experiences, Teacher Burnout, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Stress Management, Coping Mechanisms, Self-Care
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
19,
2023
ABSTRACT: Trauma informed practices provide educators with the necessary tools to address the impact that traumatic experiences have on students. The common themes for professional development and resources related to trauma informed practices include building knowledge, shifting perspectives, building emotionally healthy school cultures and self-care for educators. Educators often experience burnout and leave the profession due to stress. More than a half-million teachers have left the profession since the start of 2020. This is in part due to secondary traumatic stress. Secondary traumatic stress is defined as emotional duress that is a result of an individual hearing about the first hand traumatic experiences of another. School districts across America have minimal ongoing trauma related professional development offerings that address educator needs. This paper examines increased educator trauma and current available resources. It provides the guidelines for a collaborative model between Mental Health Professionals and Educators to produce Professional Development based Trauma Protocols for Educators.