Prof. Sandra Chafouleas is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Neag Endowed Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the Neag School of Education. She also serves as the founder and Co-Director of the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH). She has authored over 150 publications, and regularly serves a…

Dr Michael Gaskell is the Principal of Hammarskjold Middle School in East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. Michael writes extensively on school culture, trauma, and educational leadership, he is a mentor to new principals through the New Jersey Leaders to Leaders program and regularly presents on topics relevant to today’s educators. Michael has written…

Joanna Schwartz holds a Master of Education, and a Master of Counseling with a concentration in holistic studies. Joanna is the founder of Toolbox for Teachers an organization that provides workshops on the topics of mental health in schools, social and emotional learning, trauma informed education and mindfulness. Joanna’s interest in providing pr…

A Relationship-Based Approach to Supporting Students with Deni Melim by Dr. Kay AyreBy Dr. Kay Ayre

Louise Michelle Bombèr is qualified as both a specialist teacher, a therapist and a Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) certified practitioner. She has worked with individual pupils, classes, whole school settings, local authorities, teachers and support staff across both the primary and secondary phases. She has provided consultations and tra…

Bearing witness to the emotional pain and challenges of students can take its toll on educators. Under pressure to support students, teachers may be forced to confront their own social and emotional challenges. The social neuroscience of education shed light on experiences and needs linked to the common humanity we share with our students. In this …

The call for trauma-informed education is growing as the profound impact trauma has on the children’s ability to learn in traditional classrooms is recognized. For children who have experienced abuse and neglect their behaviour is often highly reactive, aggressive, withdrawn or unmotivated. They struggle to learn, to make positive relationships or …

Some students find it difficult to engage in their learning. Emotional and cognitive difficulties can affect a student’s motivation to learn and may make it difficult for them to participate in class-based educational activities. Music is a unique medium of engagement and creative communication. There is a growing body of research has emerged that …

Despite trauma-informed education gaining credibility and popularity, educational leaders continue to battle systems to implement innovative and evidence-informed practices. The relentless advocacy for staff and students pushes principals to grow – both professionally and personally. So how do leaders sustain this work? In the third and final episo…

The implementation of trauma-informed practices in schools requires leaders to attend to the safety and wellbeing of their staff, just as much as they attend to these needs in their students. So how can trauma-informed practices help with caring for teachers, and maintaining group cohesion amongst staff? In the second episode of this three-part ser…

Implementation of trauma-informed practices in schools requires a whole of school approach, endorsed and reinforced by leaders at the school. In part one of this three-part series on trauma-informed education leadership, we speak with Elizabeth Verstappen - former principal of Sadadeen Primary School in Australia. The school has implemented the Tra…

Sports and physical education often provide students experiences of success and efficacy that they may be lacking in other areas of their educational experience. How can physical education capitalize on trauma-informed practices? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Douglas Ellison. He is an assistant professor of Physical Education in the School of …

Helping students feel safe is a hall mark of trauma informed education. For some children, feeling safe in relationships is difficult. Well intentioned teachers often fall short in the skills required to communicate and reinforce a sense of trust amongst these students. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Kim Golding about her new book, 'Working wit…

Teaching methods are now personalised and student-focused, using an array of activities and modalities.Classrooms should now be flexible learning spaces, which enable multiple users to work concurrently with multiple purposes. So how do you incorporate the specific needs of an trauma informed approach into the design of a school? That’s the questio…

Relationships change the brain. The good news from the science and research on brain development is that while our earliest interpersonal experiences may have created unhelpful patterns, new patterns are formed as children develop into adults. Today we speak with Bonnie Badenoch. Bonnie is a master therapist, supervisor, teacher and author who has …

Today we speak with Dr. Jaime Mendoza-Williams, the head of student wellness at Mindright – a nonprofit that provides personalized mental health coaching over text message to teens. Developed by Ashley Edwards and Alina Liao, MindRight provides programs aimed at empowering youth of colour to heal from trauma and systemic oppression, including pover…

For many of us advocating for trauma informed practices, we may find ourselves isolated in schools that are stressed, under-resourced and punitive. In these systems, compassionate and thoughtful strategies to help students is met with strong opposition and cynicism. So what can be done to change such schools? In this episode, we speak with psychiat…

Sports and exercise can be a powerful tool of engagement and teaching,. But it can also be a stressful experience for students who struggle at school. Learn about the science of trauma informed physical education with Megan Bartlett. Megan has spent most of her career working in, designing, and advocating for programs that use sports to promote you…

With research on trauma informed practice growing in leaps and bounds, we run the risk of losing sight of the harrowingly emotional experience of the students we are trying to help. So how do we stay empathic and remind ourselves of the needs of these children? Today we speak with Nathanael Matanick. Nathanael is the director and producer of ths sh…

With the increasing awareness of the benefits of sensory strategies in the classroom, how can we use these strategies in a coherent and meaningful way to get the most impact? Today we speak with Kimberley Hodges.Kimberly has dedicated her career to working with students identified as having severe emotional behavior disorders. She has worked in the…

In this episode, we interview Danna Thomas from The Happy Teacher Revolution. Danna is the founder of the Happy Teacher Revolution network - aimed at organizing support groups for teachers in the field of mental health and wellness to increase teacher happiness, retention, and professional sustainability. With teachers are asked to give so much in …

We live in the age of the brain. With so much written about the impact of childhood trauma on the brain, how do educators put this science to use in the classroom? Today we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Becky Bailey about her ground-breaking Conscious Discipline program. Dr. Becky Bailey is an award-winning author, renowned educator and i…

Mary Gordon is founder of the Roots of Empathy program in Toronto, Canada. In 2000, she established this international program Roots of Empathy, which now offers programs in elementary schools in around the world. Roots of Empathy is recognized as one of the top evidence-based social and emotional learning programs. To get access to the links and r…

We speak with Dr. Susan Craig. Susan is a lifelong student of early trauma and its effects on children’s learning. Her teaching experience, as well as years of on- site training and technical assistance to school districts throughout the country, provides the context for her advocacy for trauma-sensitive educational reform. Her books Reaching and T…

We speak with Laura Sikes from the Turnaround for Children program. Set-up in New York in the wake of the events of September 11 in 2001, Turnaround for Children is a program that aims to support schools by providing tools and services to accelerate healthy student development and academic achievement in schools serving high concentrations of child…

As teachers, we are often at the mercy of the leadership we work under. We are often required to adopt practices and approaches that we may not fully trust or believe in. Despite the promises of every program or approach, the autonomy and judgement of the teachers - the people who know their students the best - is curtailed and distrusted. But what…

What is the real impact of a educational leader on a school? Trauma informed practices offer principals a framework to think about about both the needs of the student, as well as those of the teachers and broader community. When implemented with diligence, courage and collaboration, a trauma informed approach to leadership can transform schools to …

Being a principal can be a challenging and demanding role in schools. Balancing the needs of students, with those of the staff and the school community can be a difficult task. With so many competing needs, adopting a trauma informed approach can seem like a enormous task, particularly when teachers and the school community are tired and weary of n…

Although much has been written about the impact of such psychiatric difficulties on learning, teachers often have little guidance on effective strategies to support students with mood, anxiety and other mental health concerns. So what can be done to help these students? In this episode, we speak with Jessica Minahan, author of the book, The Behavio…

Adverse childhood experiences - including child abuse and neglect - is a national issue. So how do we combat the impact of these events on students? We speak with Mathew Portell from Fall-Hamilton Elementary. Mathew is an educator and principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary - whose leadership has focused on meeting the complex needs of all students. …

For some school leaders, taking on school wide trauma informed practice can seem like a daunting task. One that requires an investment of resources including time and money. But is the approach actually effective? In this episode, we speak with Nicole Boykins and Rochelle Gauthier form Crocker College Prep in New Orleans in the United States. The t…

What do you do when your students don’t trust you? For children who have experienced abuse and neglect, forming trusting attachments to adults and peers can be a challenge. In an effort to not be abused or taken advantage of again, these children develop coping strategies that take the form of attachment disorders - an inability to form meaningful …

Educators are among the most important influence on a child, but it’s no secret that controlling behavior issues in the classroom are what teachers struggle with the most. Children’s emotional and life challenges can create problem behaviors that may seem complex, but when a student’s behaviours are monitored and evaluated correctly, educators can …

There are greater numbers of students with disabilities receiving their education in general education classrooms. But is inclusion just a good idea - a feel-good, pie in the sky theory that does not translate into the real world of schools and classrooms? Today we speak with Nicole Eredics from The Inclusive Classroom. Nicole is the author of the …

In this episode, we interview Professor Maurice Elias Professor Maurice Elias works at the Department of Psychology at the Rutgers School of Arts and Science in Piscataway, New Jersey. Over several years, Professor Elias has worked in the field of prevention, school-based preventive intervention, and social competence promotion. He was integral in …

In this episode, we interview Erik Gordon, a science teacher from Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, Washington. Erik explains how the school has adopted a trauma-informed approach to curriculum development and disciplinary practices. So much has been said and written about being trauma informed, but what does this look like in practice? Listen to…

In this episode, we interview Dr. Guy Macpherson. Dr. Macpherson is a psychologist specializing in the treatment of trauma and early psychosis. Over the last several years, Guy has dedicated himself to the study of trauma psychology, trauma therapy, post-traumatic growth, and most recently, the intersection of trauma and psychosis, specifically the…

In this episode, we are delighted to interview world-renowned filmmaker, James Redford. James turned his storytelling eye on the hidden menace of adverse childhood experiences in his ground-breaking documentary, Paper Tigers. Set within and around the campus of Lincoln Alternative High School in rural community of Walla Walla in Washington, Paper T…

In this episode, we are delighted to interview Bonnie Goldstein and Rochelle Lohrasbe from Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. Developed by Dr. Pat Ogden, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy recognizes that traumatised children are at the mercy of reliving their past through bodily reactions. They recognised that managing and recovering from trauma requir…

Episode 27 is an interview with educator and occupational therapist, Leah Kuypers. Leah has practiced as an Occupational Therapist and specialist in school and clinical settings, specialising in self-regulation and social learning, and has worked with students of all ages and challenges, including anxiety, ADHD, and ASD. Leah created The Zones of R…

Episode 25 is an interview with psychotherapist and parent educator, Bryan Post. Bryan Post is one of America’s foremost child behaviour experts and founder of the Post Institute. The Post Institute works with adults, children and families struggling with early life trauma and the impact on the development of the mind and body. www.tipbs.com…

In this series, we review the book, 'The Whole Brain Child' by Daniel Siegal and Tina Payne Bryson. In the Chapter 4, we review strategies to help traumatised students learn from times when they get triggered with memories from the past. Learn more about the strategies 'Rewind and Review' and 'Remember to Remember'.…

In this series, we review the book, 'The Whole Brain Child' by Daniel Siegal and Tina Payne Bryson. In the Chapter 3, we review strategies to engage the upstairs and downstairs parts of the brain in when dealing with conflict and tantrums with students. Learn more about the strategies 'Engage, Don't Enrage' and 'Move it or Lose it'.…

Welcome to the TIPBS Podcast! Episode 14 is a interview with Tom Brunzell. Tom is a teacher and the author of 'Trauma Informed Positive Education' that wrote with Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Angela Duckworth of Stanford University. Tom works with Berry Street in Melbourne, Australia and shares incredibly practical advice and strategies for educator…

Welcome to the TIPBS Podcast! Episode 13 is a interview with Betsy De Thierry. She is psychotherapist and teacher in the United Kingdom. Betsy is the author of the book 'Teaching the Child on the Trauma Continuum'. Listen to Betsy share practical insights into the skills of therapeutic classroom management. www.tipbs.com…

Welcome to the TIPBS Bookclub! In this episode, we review Chapter 8 of the book 'Teaching the Child on the Trauma Continuum' by Betsy De Thierry. Packed with practical strategies, we both the "what" and "how" of implementing these classroom management techniques.By Dr. Kay Ayre

Welcome to the TIPBS Podcast! Episode 7 is a interview with Dr. Raul Silva, child and adolescent psychiatrist. Listen to Dr. Silva share fascinating insights from working with children and families in New York following 9/11 and his research into the risks, resilience and recovery of these children. For more, visit www.tipbs.com…

Welcome to the TIPBS Podcast! Episode 3 is a interview with Dr. Judith Cohen. She is psychiatrist and creator of the 'Trauma Foused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy' program - the most researched and evidence-based treatment for children and young people with trauma. Listen to Dr. Cohen share practical insights of trauma-informed practice in schools. F…

Welcome to the TIPBS Podcast! Episode 2 is a interview with Dr. Dave Ziegler. He is psychologist and founder of 'Jasper Mountain' - a wold renowned facilitate for children and young people with trauma. Listen to Dr. Ziegler share practical insights of trauma-informed practice in schools. www.tipbs.com…