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Trauma & Resilience: Implications for Education

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Title: Trauma & Resilience: Implications for Education


1
Trauma Resilience Implications for Education
  • An Interdisciplinary Conference to Investigate
    How We Can Better Reach New York Citys
    Disconnected Youth through Education and Mental
    Health
  • Dr. Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers
  • Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology
  • Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University
  • Private Practice, New York, New York

2
Scenario 1
  • The Case of Adelia
  • A high school freshman adjusting high school life

3
Scenario 2
  • The case of Marielisa
  • A high school senior transitioning to college

4
Defining Trauma
  • Psychiatric trauma -- An experience that is
    emotionally painful, distressful, or shocking and
    which may result in lasting mental and physical
    effects (Medical Dictionary).

5
Trauma Symptoms
  • Signs of trauma vary and change as a child
    develops, but trauma symptoms tend to be similar
    within certain age groups.

6
Junior and Senior High School Symptoms
  • Cognitive
  • Problems concentrating, over concern regarding
    health
  • Physical
  • Headaches, vague complaints of pain, development
    of skin rashes, loss of appetite or overeating
  • Emotional
  • Depression, anxiety
  • Behavioral
  • Cant meet responsibilities, resumes earlier
    coping styles, withdraws socially, abuse
    drugs/alcohol, drop in school performance, sudden
    changes in attitude/style/relationships

7
Factors that Increased PTSD After September 11th
  • Being younger (400 increase)
  • Family member exposed (200 increase)
  • Female (88)
  • Prior trauma history (65)
  • Physical exposure (64)
  • Identified as Latino/Mixed/Other for cultural
    background (22-28)
  • (Applied Research Consulting, Columbia
    University Mailman School of Public Health New
    York State Psychiatric Institute, 2002)

8
Relationship Between Factors and School
Environment
  • Youth not going to school
  • Latino parents fearful of sending their children
    to school
  • Responsibilities increased in response to
    traumatic experience

9
Cultural Implications of Trauma
  • Self-blame, gender roles interpretation of the
    event (i.e., Latina woman felt she could have
    prevented the event, wifes job to sacrifice)
  • Stigma (i.e., seeking psychological help is only
    for a una loca)
  • Religious persecution (i.e.,Muslims threatened)
  • Police presence (i.e.,unintentional
    re-traumatization)
  • Number of sessions limited (i.e., only 3 per
    family against cultural value personalismo)

10
Resilience to Trauma
  • Process, capacity or outcome of successful
    adaptation despite challenges or threatening
    circumstances (Masten, Best Garmezy, 1990, p.
    426)
  • Children develop resilience to traumatic
    situations in a variety of ways, but support from
    the family, community and school system can help
    the child build resilience

11
Moving Towards Resilience Culturally Inclusive
Responses to Trauma
  • Cultural Framework
  • Search for the meaning of suffering and pain in
    relation to the culture
  • Search for the meaning of death/life in the
    culture
  • Traditions may help survivors feel re-connected
  • (Clauss-Ehlers, C.S., Acosta, O., Weist, M.D.
    (2004). Responses to terrorism The voices of
    two communities speak out. In C.S. Clauss-Ehlers
    M.D. Weist (Eds.), Community planning to foster
    resilience in children (pp. 143-159). New York,
    NY Kluwer Academic Publishers.)

12
Moving Towards Resilience Cultural Inclusive
Responses to Trauma
  • Practical Problems
  • Deal with the immediate problems that the
    individual is having difficultly handling
  • Build Trust
  • Assist with financial resources
  • Help survivors focus on something tangible that
    they can accomplish over the next few days

13
Moving Towards Resilience Cultural Inclusive
Responses to Trauma
  • Specific Cross- Cultural Interventions
  • Reduce isolation
  • Relaxation techniques/Meditation
  • Education about crisis in culturally relevant
    terms
  • Community techniques
  • Eye contact, pace of conversation, body language

14
Junior and Senior High School Interventions
  • Provide extra consideration and attention
  • Be available to listen but dont force students
    to discuss experiences
  • Encourage discussion of trauma experiences among
    peers
  • Promote involvement with community recovery work
  • Encourage participation in physical activities
  • Encourage resumption of a regular routine

15
Influences on Educational Resilience
16
Importance of Classroom Practices
  • Classroom practices
  • Set high standards for all students, lots of
    student/teacher interaction, maintain a high
    level of student engagement, and tailor
    instruction to the needs of students, create a
    high achievement classroom setting
  • Teacher
  • Concern, expectations role modeling to reduce
    academic failure
  • Close teacher/student relationships can reduce
    stress and provide support

17
Importance of the Family
  • Despite limited resources and severe hardship,
    home environment provides support and resources
  • Positive factors positive parent/child
    relationship(s), family cohesion, assigned
    chores, responsibilities for the familys
    well-being
  • School attendance achievement positively
    influenced by parents who monitor television
    viewing, read to young children on a daily basis,
    and express high expectations for academic
    success

18
Importance of Curriculum
  • Research suggests that the average remedial
    education program often adds to childrens
    learning problems
  • Need learning activities and materials that
    promote higher levels of thinking and are
    responsive to student diversity
  • Enhance students motivation and promotes
    educational resilience

19
Importance of Community
  • Communities that promote high moral academic
    expectations help foster resilience
  • Social support helps to increase opportunities
    for children to develop new interests and skills

20
Educational Opportunity Fund Research on College
Age Transitions A Model for Other States
  • Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) programs were
    developed in New Jersey to provide access to
    higher education for financially disadvantaged
    students who are first- and second- generation
    college attendees
  • First-generation means neither guardian earned a
    baccalaureate degree
  • Second-generation means guardians earned at least
    one baccalaureate degree
  • Students must pass this 6-week program in order
    to gain admissions to a 4-year college
    institution
  • (Clauss-Ehlers, C.S., Wibrowski, C. (2007).
    Building resilience and social support The
    effects of an educational opportunity fund
    academic program among first- and
    second-generation college students. Journal of
    College Student Development, 24(5), 574-584.)

21
EOF Program Intervention
  • 6-week institute that met 5 days a week for
    approx. 7.5 hours a day
  • Supportive components
  • Each student assigned an EOF counselor
  • Counseling on personal and academic issues
  • Academic components
  • Introduction to college English math, a science
    course in biology or geology, a course on
    strategies for academic success, public speaking
    course

22
Positive Effects of EOF
  • Results indicate that the summer EOF academic
    institute was associated with significant
    increases in resilience and participants sense
    of social support from program staff and peers

23
Importance
  • If educators and psychologists gain greater
    understanding of the processes that promote
    resilience in youth, they will be in a better
    position to support strengths and coping among
    all our children

24
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