Can we talk about trauma?
First Presenter's Institution
Villery
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Tosh J. Villery is the senior education partnerships manager for the US Gulf Coast region. A strong advocate for education and equity, Tosh brings more than 13 years of experience in education with roles ranging from high school classroom teacher to district-level human assets and brand management. As part of the Education Partnerships team, Tosh supports school districts with more than 15,000 enrolled students across the Gulf Coast in implementing the Second Step® family of programs. Tosh was drawn to Committee for Children’s mission and said the role perfectly fits his background and experience with clients across the Gulf Coast. He explains, “Speaking with Committee for Children leadership demonstrated the organization’s commitment to equity. It was wonderful to find a company whose goals and priorities align with their actions.” As a first-generation college student and graduate Tosh has had to overcome tremendous adversity to get where he is today, from undiagnosed and untreated severe anxiety and ADHD to growing up at times in an abusive home environment. He is no stranger to trauma and relies on perseverance and grit to succeed. Tosh sees his success as more of an exception, given where he comes from, and has dedicated his life to making it the norm.
Document Type
Event
Primary Strand
Social-Emotional Learning
Relevance to Primary Strand
Without dealing with underlying trauma and issues around students social and emotional health kids will not learn. Think of this in terms of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. If you do not address the basic physiological and safety needs kids cannot climb the hierarchy.
Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics
Student Learning and Development
Brief Program Description
Every classroom has students who have experienced trauma from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The pandemic has intensified a sense of distress for all students but may particularly impact students who have experienced trauma. How can schools provide the safety and support students need to learn and thrive? How can teachers, while recovering from COVID trauma, create positive childhood experiences to mitigate the impact of the pandemic? This session addresses how teachers and schools can integrate foundational trauma-sensitive practices into their teaching plans and student interactions.
Summary
Every classroom has students who have experienced trauma from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs can shake students’ sense of safety. The COVID-19 threat has intensified a sense of distress for all students, but may particularly impact students who have experienced trauma. How can schools provide the safety and support that students need to learn and thrive? How can teachers, while recovering from COVID trauma themselves, create positive childhood experiences to mitigate the impact of the pandemic? This session addresses how teachers and schools can integrate foundational trauma-sensitive practices into their teaching plans and their interactions with students.
Evidence
1.Merrick, M. T., Ford, D. C., Ports, K. A., & Guinn, A. S. (2018). Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences from the 2011–2014 behavioral risk factor surveillance system in 23 states. Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics, 172(11), 1038–1044. https://doi.og/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.2537 2.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022, April 4). Recognizing and treating child traumatic stress. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/recognizing-and-treating-child- traumatic-stress 3.Abramson, A. (2020, April 8). How COVID-19 may increase domestic violence and child abuse. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/domestic-violence-child-abuse 4.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf 5.Bethell, C. D., Jones, J., Gombojav, N., Linkenbach, J., & Sege, R. (2019). Positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relational health in a statewide sample: Associations across adverse childhood experiences levels. Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics, 173(11). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3007 6.Bethell, C. D., Gombojav, N., & Whitaker, R. C. (2019). Family resilience and connection promote flourishing among US children, even amid diversity. Health Affairs, 38(5). https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05425 7.Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x 8.Snyder, F. J., Vuchinich, S. Acock, A., Washburn, I. J., & Flay, B. R. (2011). Improving elementary school quality through the use of a socialemotional and character development program: A matched-pair, cluster-randomized, controlled trial in Hawai’i. Journal of School Health, 82(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00662.x 9.Committee for Children. (2019, April 1). Child Sexual Abuse: A Cry for Help. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAR488XyYYU
Learning Objective 1
Identify and understand the effects of adversity and trauma on learning
Learning Objective 2
Identify how to create a safe and supportive learning environment for students and educators.
Learning Objective 3
Identify trauma-informed teaching strategies to promote student success
Recommended Citation
Villery, Tosh J., "Can we talk about trauma?" (2023). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 13.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2023/2023/13
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Can we talk about trauma?
Every classroom has students who have experienced trauma from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs can shake students’ sense of safety. The COVID-19 threat has intensified a sense of distress for all students, but may particularly impact students who have experienced trauma. How can schools provide the safety and support that students need to learn and thrive? How can teachers, while recovering from COVID trauma themselves, create positive childhood experiences to mitigate the impact of the pandemic? This session addresses how teachers and schools can integrate foundational trauma-sensitive practices into their teaching plans and their interactions with students.
