Trauma takes many forms and stems from a wide range of experiences, including abuse, neglect, violence, natural or man-made disasters, loss of loved ones, and more. Such occurrences have such a profound effect on a person that they negatively impact their emotional, psychological, and/or physical well-being. School counselors can greatly impact how students handle such occurrences and navigate the way forward.

In the case of students, academic progress can also be severely hampered by trauma. Trauma in students typically presents as one or more of the following:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Difficulty paying attention or concentrating
• Negative behavior
• Emotional dysregulation
• Slumping academic performance
• Social withdrawal

A Solution: Trama-Informed School Counseling

By integrating an understanding of how to recognize and treat trauma and integrating it into school policies, practices, and culture, school counselors can be instrumental in creating a daily environment that promotes healing, support, and academic success.

Key components of trauma-informed school counseling include:

• Educating staff on the effects of trauma and how to refer students for counseling.
• Creating a safe environment by providing the right physical space to keep students free from threats, establishing clear and consistent rules and routines, and fostering strong student/staff relationships.
• Developing individualized support plans to ensure specific student needs are met.
• Strengthening family ties and community partnerships for additional resources.

Help Students Understand

As a school counselor, the basis of effectively managing trauma or crises is to help students comprehend whatever has taken place by learning as much about it as possible and then navigating their feelings about it for a safe, positive outcome.

Think of this in four steps:

1. Console: Provide whatever resources students need ASAP when a traumatic event happens. Often, this simply means being there as a sounding board and source of safety and release. Your ultimate goal is to help them react in a safe manner and learn from their emotions going forward.
2. Comprehend: Learn as much as possible about a traumatic event. Navigate your own feelings; once you do this, you can better help students cope with the event. Details and developments must be fully understood before they can be effectively addressed and resolved.
3. Collaborate: Establish dialogues and interactions with parents, teachers, school administrators, and members of the community as needed to best reach the students you serve. There are many venues to accomplish this, including email and text streams, PTO meetings, and district newsletters.
4. Counsel: Be ready on the front line to provide comfort, support, and answers, even when there may appear to be no response to traumatic occurrences. At the very least, a strong, objective, calming adult presence is a solid start.

It takes a specially qualified, compassionate professional to succeed as a school counselor, even in the best of circumstances. Hopefully, the need to manage severe trauma will be rare – but if you’re well prepared, it can turn potentially horrific situations into valuable learning experiences.

Check out available educational healthcare roles, or contact Covelo Group today for more information on becoming a school counselor as your potential next career step.