{"id":186,"date":"2018-04-29T14:04:16","date_gmt":"2018-04-29T18:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/?page_id=186"},"modified":"2018-05-15T18:09:26","modified_gmt":"2018-05-15T22:09:26","slug":"practitioner-articles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/practitioner-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"Practitioner Articles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trouble or Trauma? Support & Resilience in Urban Schools & Communities <\/strong><\/p>\n

These articles discus how schools, communities, and institutions respond to \u201cdisruptive\u201d students with punitive punishments who need support and medical assistance (Carter, Calvo, Abraham, & Ukeje 8). Sad, Not Bad <\/strong>Katharine Carter\u00a0<\/strong>provides\u00a0innovative approaches to student discipline, which recognize and react to traumatized students more effectively. In Trauma-Informed & Resilient Communities: A Primer for Public Health Practitioners,<\/strong>\u00a0Calvo et. all \u201ctrauma-informed\u201d policies and practices provide solutions to challenges posed in\u00a0Sad, Not Bad<\/strong>.<\/em>\u00a0The<\/em>\u00a0articles suggest schools, communities, and state institutions lack an understanding of trauma and its impact, which has detrimental effects on low-income youth.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Trauma <\/em><\/p>\n

Carter defines \u201ctrauma\u201d as a \u201cdeeply disturbing experience or response to a terrible event\u201d (Carter). More specifically, Calvo et. al borrow a definition from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):<\/p>\n

\u201cIndividual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual\u2019s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual wellbeing\u201d (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 4).<\/p>\n

Carter and Calvo et. al break down the phenomenon of trauma based research of the health risks of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The study identified three types of ACEs:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Abuse: physical, emotional, or sexual<\/li>\n
  2. Neglect: physical or emotional<\/li>\n
  3. Household Dysfunction: mental illness, abusive or abused parent, divorce, incarcerated relative, or substance abuse<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Health Implications of Trauma<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em>Trauma negatively affects the undeveloped neural pathways in a young person\u2019s brain, impacting their \u201cresponses to danger, impulse control, and memory\u201d (Carter). This can put children in a \u201cstate of hyper-arousal,\u201d which can lead to overreactions. Internal reactions to trauma include: loss of motivation, reduced class participation, and depression and their external reactions include: \u201coutbursts, violence, and defiance\u201d (Carter).<\/p>\n

    The effects of trauma prevail into adulthood. Studies show links between ACEs and behavior, physical, and mental health deficiencies. Further, the more ACEs one experiences, the greater their risks are of disease, substance abuse, and overall poorer health (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 3).<\/p>\n

    Trauma-Induced Health risks include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Diabetes<\/li>\n
    • Depression<\/li>\n
    • Suicide<\/li>\n
    • STDs<\/li>\n
    • Heart disease<\/li>\n
    • Cancer<\/li>\n
    • Stroke<\/li>\n
    • COPD<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Trauma in Low Income Urban Communities <\/em><\/p>\n

      Communities of color are susceptible to ACES due to the combined effects of \u201ccommunity violence, poverty, incarceration and institutional and overt racism\u201d (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 6). Urban poverty is itself \u201cindependently associated\u201d with greater exposure to traumatic events because these communities experience the most traumatic stress and have the least resources combat the effects.<\/p>\n

      Recognizing Trauma in Urban Schools<\/em><\/p>\n

      Trauma is prompted by individual, familial, community, and environmental factors, as well as personality, past traumatic experiences, family history, coping skills, and cultural beliefs (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 5). These factors also shape a person’s capacity to recognize the effects of trauma by distorting their perceptions of \u201cnormal\u201d life experiences (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham6). One’s perception of \u201cnormalcy\u201d effects how they expressively respond to and understand trauma. This also makes identifying traumatized individuals challenging since pain may be disguised (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 6).<\/p>\n

      In poor urban schools, punitive and exclusionary disciplinary policies magnify the problem by training teachers to interpret disruptive students as \u201ctrouble-makers\u201d who deserve strict punishment. The focus on punishment authorizes teachers to read hostile behavior as a choice that derives from anger rather than pain. Carter suggests schools\u00a0 adapt \u201ctrauma-informed\u201d policies and procedures, which educate teachers and administrators about trauma so they can more appropriately respond and support traumatized students.<\/p>\n

      A Trauma-Informed Approach <\/em><\/p>\n

      Calvo, Ukeje, Abraham, and Carter promote \u201ctrauma-informed\u201d practices in schools, organizations, and communities. A \u201ctrauma-informed\u201d system is defined as one that \u201crecognizes and responds to the effects of trauma \u2013 and which avoid re-traumatization\u201d (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 8).<\/p>\n

      A \u201ctrauma-informed\u201d approach (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 9):<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Creates a psychologically and physically safe environment.<\/li>\n
      • Decisions and actions plans made with the students and community<\/li>\n
      • \u201cPeer Support\u201d Individuals who’ve experienced trauma are included in decision-making process and serve as mentors<\/li>\n
      • Cultivates strong relationships between all involved entities<\/li>\n
      • Recognizes and builds upon individuals\u2019 strengths and experiences.<\/li>\n
      • Fosters belief in resilience and the ability to heal and recover from trauma.<\/li>\n
      • Empowers traumatize youth<\/li>\n
      • Organization \u201cmoves past cultural stereotypes and biases\u201d by incorporating policies respond to the \u201cracial, ethnic and cultural needs of the individuals served.\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Recognizes and addresses \u201chistorical trauma.\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Fosters resilience: \u201cthe capacity to cope with stress, overcome adversity, and thrive despite, and perhaps even because of, challenges in life.\u201d (Calvo, Ukeje, & Abraham 11)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Trouble or Trauma? It matters.<\/em><\/p>\n

        \u00a0<\/em>Youth from poor urban communities experience trauma at higher rates than any other demographic of students because they are disproportionately exposed to violence, poverty, and punitive systems of control (Carter, Calvo, Abraham & Ukeje 6). Under these conditions, students are labeled \u201ctrouble-makers\u201d and punished for behaviors that aren\u2019t actually threatening (Carter). As a result, trauma-induced behaviors are misinterpreted, resulting in punishments that suspend, expel, and isolate students in need of attention and support.<\/p>\n

        Students who do not receive the medical and community support are at risk for negative health effects, reduced academic opportunities, and the school-to-prison pipeline. As such, these articles insist schools implement \u201ctrauma-informed\u201d practices that foster more awareness of trauma so that schools and communities can see<\/em> that being a \u201ctrouble-maker\u201d is not a choice.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Calvo, Michael, Ukeje, Chideraa, and Abraham, Rebecca. (June 2016). “Trauma-Informed & Resilient Communities: A Primer for Public Health Practioners”\u00a0Advancing Prevention Project.\u00a0http:\/\/www.advancingpreventionproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Trauma-Primer-Final.pdf<\/em><\/p>\n

        Carter, Katharine. (June 2017). \u201cDatabase: Sad, Not Bad.\u201d National School Boards Association. https:\/\/www.nsba.org\/newsroom\/american-school-board-journal\/asbj-june-2017\/database-sad-not-bad.<\/em><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Trouble or Trauma? Support & Resilience in Urban Schools & Communities These articles discus how schools, communities, and institutions respond to \u201cdisruptive\u201d students with punitive punishments who need support and medical assistance (Carter, Calvo, Abraham, & Ukeje 8). Sad, Not Bad Katharine Carter\u00a0provides\u00a0innovative approaches to student discipline, which recognize and react to traumatized students more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":651,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-186","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/186\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/education-2272-spring-2018-hcooke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}