Using Trauma Informed and Social Emotional Learning Approaches to Address Teen Dating Violence and Unhealthy Relationships

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Adair F. White-johnsonFollow
Tamiko LowryPughFollow

First Presenter's Institution

The Empowerment House

Second Presenter's Institution

The Still Standing Alliance

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Strand #1

Safety & Violence Prevention

Strand #2

Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

This topic focuses on the psychological, emotional, physical and social effects of teen dating violence and its relationship to the academic achievement levels of youth.

Based upon a study completed by Jouriles, E. N., Choi, H. J., Rancher, C., & Temple, J., (2017):

The mental health consequences of experiencing physical TDV are an important factor contributing to future victimization in early adulthood. This holds potentially important implications for school-based efforts for reducing physical TDV. Specifically, school-based efforts to reduce victimization may be enhanced by supplementing existing efforts with empirically supported programs for addressing trauma symptoms.

Educators will learn specifics about the scope of the problem and unique evidence-based strategies/techniques that will help them to create trauma informed environments to help students who have been traumatized. Social emotional learning will also be addressed.

According to Gulbrandson (2018):

SEL helps children survive and cope in various situations. Trauma affects kids’ social-emotional skills, such as their ability to identify, express, and manage emotions. Children exposed to trauma may internalize their feelings because they don’t have vocabulary to express their experiences, or they may externalize aggression, anger, and fear because they learn to perceive situations as dangerous.

SEL teaches kids to connect their actions to their thoughts and feelings by noticing feelings and physical sensations in their bodies, such as heat (embarrassment, shame), pressure (stress), tingling, muscular tension (anger, nervousness). When kids start understanding the physical sensations of their bodies and connecting them to emotions, only then can they learn how to name and describe their feelings, such as sadness, frustration, or anger. This is how they safely learn to express their feelings in a healthy way, verbally or nonverbally, and learn the coping strategies for managing their feelings as well.

While not all kids will experience trauma, they will all face challenges at some point in their lives, so all can benefit from learning skills for managing adversity. A trauma-sensitive environment that supports kids’ need to feel safe and supported—paired with strong adult social-emotional competencies and SEL supports for students—helps ensure kids will cultivate healthy student behaviors and have opportunities to thrive in the face of difficulties and hardships.

This is directly related to the Safety & Violence Prevention and the Social & Emotional Skills strand.

Gulbrandson, Kim (2018) https://www.cfchildren.org/blog/2018/06/sel-and-trauma-informed-practice/

Jouriles, E. N., Choi, H. J., Rancher, C., & Temple, J. (Accepted/In press). Teen Dating Violence Victimization, Trauma Symptoms and Revictimization in Early Adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.01.020

Brief Program Description

This session will show educators how to create trauma informed environments that will address the psychological, emotional, physical and social effects that teen dating violence has on youth and the impact it can ultimately have on the academic achievement of the students.

Educators will learn specifics about the scope of the problem and unique evidence based strategies/techniques to assist students who have been traumatized and improve their academic achievement levels

Summary

This session is designed to share the scope and impact of teen dating violence on youth, trauma, and the connection to academic achievement.

Through the introduction of evidence based strategies designed to teach educators how to create trauma informed environments, social emotional learning competencies, programs, and services to help the students, the presentation will be engaging and informative.

Many schools do not offer programs for the youth in grades 6-12 that specifically address the needs of this population. This session will share viable options for schools to create programs that will directly help these students.

This topic is timely, relevant and necessary in an educational era that recognizes the importance of ensuring that students remain mentally and physically healthy to maintain strong academic achievement levels. Unfortunately many educators do not understand or are unaware of the statistics surrounding these traumatized youth in crisis and do not know how to appropriately help the youth.

The program that will be presented is based on the CDC's evidence-based approach:

CDC uses a four-step approach to address public health problems like dating violence.

Step 1: Define the problem: This step focuses on learning the breadth and depth of the problem and the population it affects. The CDC learns about a problem by gathering and studying data.

Step 2: Identify risk and protective factors: This step focuses on recognizing and understanding why the behavior is occurring. The CDC conducts and supports research to answer this question.

Step 3: Develop and test prevention strategies: Using information gathered in research, CDC develops and evaluates strategies to prevent violence. This session will present examples of strategies used in a 6-week program designed to address teen dating violence.

Step 4: Ensure widespread adoption: In this final step, CDC shares the best prevention strategies and the information shared in this presentation is also an attempt to do so.

Information presented in this session will address the needs of the educators who are unsure how to create trauma informed environments, social emotional competencies and are unaware of the relationship between teen dating violence, trauma, and academic achievement.

I currently teach educators who are graduate students in 2 courses: "Trauma and Resilience" and "Creating Trauma Informed Classrooms" and I've learned from these students that their district professional development does not include this information.

Many of my students feel unprepared and ignorant about teen dating violence, and how to create trauma informed environments. In addition, they feel they lack the knowledge to help students become socially-emotionally competent because they have not received the training to do so.

My hope is that through this session I can at least introduce the concepts to them and provide them with a "starter kit" so they can begin the journey to assit them effectively.

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/teen-dating-violence-factsheet-a.pdf

Evidence

1. Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.
2. One in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.
3. One in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
4. Approximately one in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.
5. Nearly 80% of girls who have been victims of physical abuse in their dating relationships continue to date the abuser.
6. Nearly 20% of teen girls who have been in a relationship said that their boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm in the event of a break-up. http://womensissues.about.com/od/datingandsex/a/TeenDatingAbuse.htm

Based on the above-mentioned statistics Teen Dating Violence is connected to academic achievement, unhealthy relationships and at-risk teen behavior. The twelve lesson program that we developed is based upon the data noted above and has been delivered to students in grades 6-12. The participants were students who were in the care of the Department of Family and Children Services, Department of Public Health and several public schools.

In order to prevent violence and ensure the safety of all children and youth educators must begin to educate the youth and offer services to youth affected by Teen Dating Violence. The program presented in this sessions does that. It imperative that this behavior is addressed because violent behavior of this sort typically begins at or around age 12.

This presentation is also related to the Mental and Physical Health of students because youth that are involved in unhealthy relationships that involve violence are impacted mentally and physically. It is a "long road" to recovery that demands in-depth counseling, support, and perhaps therapeutic strategies to assist the youth in the healing process. This session will address all of the above.

Many educators and adults interested in students are unaware of these statistics and are not trained to provide the support that the students need. This presentation is the first step in that direction.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Adair White-Johnson

Youth Empowerment Expert, Motivational Speaker, International Bestselling Author, and Publisher, Dr. Adair f. White-johnson (affectionately known as “Dr. Adair”) is a leading authority on motivating, inspiring and empowering individuals to move towards positive change, become resilient and to bounce back after hitting rock bottom. She specializes in helping teens build their confidence levels to become equipped and empowered to pursue their passion, to persevere in their purpose and to “Get Over It!”

As the International Bestselling Author of 13 books and three curricula that include "21 Ways to Get Over It! What You Should Know,” “21 Ways to Get Over It! What You Should Know for Teens,”“How to Get Over It! in 30 Days Parts I, II, and III,” “Teen Dating Violence and Academic Achievement: The Power of Connection,” “White Girl Speaks! Powerful Words of Inspiration for Leadership and Success in your Life,” “Get Over It! How to Bounce Back After Hitting Rock Bottom,” and “Get Over It! How to Bounce Back After Hitting Rock Bottom for Teens,” Dr. Adair focuses on teaching teens, young adults, and women how to become empowered, resilient and become change agents in their lives despite any trauma that they have experienced. Also, Dr. Adair trains educators how to use evidence-based, effective methods to work with youth who have been traumatized and need assistance.

Dr. Adair decided to end her successful career as a Professional Counselor after 26 years so she could “follow her next dream.” She then created The Johnson Tribe Publishing House (JTP), a full-service publishing agency that empowers, engages, inspires, motivates, promotes and teaches authors the skills of writing and publishing their books.

The Empowerment House was established so that she could coach women and teens through life changes. She teaches them how to operate and thrive despite their circumstances and shares techniques that help them empower themselves to “push through the pain” in their lives and become successful individuals.

She is a popular, dynamic, powerful, and entertaining motivational speaker, and Dr. Adair has internationally delivered successful presentations in countries such as India, Canada, and The Bahamas.

As the creator of The BELIEVE and GO HARD systems, she imparts strategies that focus on leadership skills, creating a healthy balance, fulfilling dreams and reaching destiny points. In these systems, she introduces six stages of self-empowerment that includes rejuvenating natural resiliency.

A State University of New York at Buffalo graduate who earned a Ph.D., a Certificate of Advanced Studies and a Master’s degree in Counseling, Dr. Adair has provided motivational, creative and unique services for over thirty years. She also created an empowerment and resiliency curriculum for teens. This program is aligned with the National Common Core Standards as well as the American School Counselor Association National Model. She has collaborated with The Still Standing Foundation to create a comprehensive and informative curriculum and program, “Teen Dating Violence, Unhealthy Relationships, and Academic Achievement: The Power of Connection.” Her third curriculum, “21 Ways to Get Over It! for Teens: What You Need to Know” motivates, inspires, and empowers teens for leadership and success.

Dr. Adair was an Associate Professor of Research but currently teaches Trauma & Resilience and Creating Trauma Informed Classrooms to graduate students.

She has been named as a State of Georgia Professional School Counselor of the Year and Writer of the Year and has also been featured in The Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Rolling Out, POSE, Glambitious, BOLD magazines and on CBS 46 Atlanta television and V103 Radio. Dr. Adair has appeared on several national, and international radio shows, podcasts and is the recipient of several academic and civic awards.

Tamiko Lowry-Pugh

Tamiko Lowry-Pugh often referred to as "The Empowering Diva" is a voice for Women's Empowerment. She is the CEO of EmpowerME! Life Coaching & Consulting - a personal development & lifestyle enhancement firm for women, the CEO of Still Standing Publishing - a Book Publishing Company that publishes memoirs and self-help books and the founder of The Still Standing Alliance – a nonprofit organization that focuses on domestic violence awareness, advocacy, and prevention. Tamiko has constructed a powerful movement dedicated to the empowerment and personal development of women across the world. She is a compassionate mentor and friend, an enthusiastic leader, and visionary.

Tamiko is a member of The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., MECCA Chapter where she serves as the 1st Vice President of Programs. She is an active member of Women In The Spotlight GoingGlobal, The Classy Living Society and several other professional organizations. Over the years she has received many awards and recognitions including The Rising In Community Excellence Award, Female Visionary of the Year Award, and most recently Tamiko received the Legend of Champions Award as well as the Unsung Heroine Award for her dedication to the fight to end violence against women, just to name a few.

Tamiko earned her Business degree from Colorado Technical University. She has completed Domestic Violence Advocacy training and has created several workshops, curriculums and trainings that allows her to teach and train Domestic Violence Awareness workshops throughout the country. After attending the International Coaching and Science Research Institute, she obtained certifications as a Certified Life Coach and Public Speaker/Master Communicator.

As an International Bestselling Author, Empowerment Speaker, Domestic Violence Expert and Violence Against Women Consultant, Tamiko believes that empowerment comes from within and can be achieved by honoring yourself, your values, and expressing your talents and gifts.

Tamiko resides in Atlanta, GA with her husband, Kenny Pugh and two young adult children, Destiny & Michael.

Keyword Descriptors

Trauma, Teen Dating Violence Resiliency

Recommended Citation

White-johnson, Adair F. and LowryPugh, Tamiko, "Using Trauma Informed and Social Emotional Learning Approaches to Address Teen Dating Violence and Unhealthy Relationships" (2020). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 8.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2020/2020/8