How Trauma Affects Kids at School – and How You Can Help
Turn on the news or check your phone updates and it seems like we are being inundated with the news of traumatic events around the world, in our hometowns, and in our schools. It can be overwhelming for us as adults — imagine how overwhelming it can be for children. Sometimes, it is easy…
Poverty and the School-aged Child – How to Lessen the Impact
By Julia Hogan, LCPC
Think about the last time you were hungry. Maybe you were busy grading papers and lost track of time, or you had a late parent conference and put off eating until you got home. Whatever the reason was, it probably left you feeling irritable and cranky until you were able to eat. Often when we’re…
Understanding the Mental Health Risks for Children in Foster Care
By Julia Hogan, LCPC
For children who grow up in foster care, life is unpredictable. They have to struggle with the instability that comes with moving from family to family, while trying to cope with the reasons why they are unable to stay with their biological family. For educators, it’s important to realize that…
Childhood Trauma and Building Resilience in the Classroom
By Venée Hummel
Children may experience a variety of trauma as they grow; these could be one-time events such as a sudden or violent death of a loved one, a natural disaster, a serious accident, or one incident of sexual abuse. Some children, however, experience on-going and chronic trauma, which could include…
Understanding Secondary Trauma Stress - Know the Signs
By Vanessa Jacoby
There’s little doubt that, while being in the teaching and helping professions is rewarding, it can be stressful work. This stress can be compounded by risk for experiencing secondary traumatic stress for teachers who work with highly traumatized populations. Secondary traumatic stress, or STS,…