TRAUMA-INFORMED PROGRAM FOR PROMOTING SUCCESS

Research suggests that there is a great need for evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches within school settings for students who are at-risk for social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems (Ridgard, Laracy, DuPaul, Shapior, & Power, 2015; Brock et al., 2016). Approximately 25-68% of students have reported some form of trauma (Costello, Erkanlie, Fairbank, & Angold, 2002; Copeland, Keeler, Angold, & Costello, 2007) that included reports of terrorism, child maltreatment, witnessing aggression or violence, or the death of a loved one (Rossen & Hull, 2012). Research suggesting that children are at greater risk for trauma than previously believed, combined with the understanding of trauma-informed care as an approach to healthy living, illustrates the benefits of having trauma-informed care integrated into school-based services. Participants included 24 sixth through eighth grade students attending a public junior high school, who were referred for the program for a variety of reasons by their school counselors. Researchers delivered weekly trauma-informed lessons surrounding school climate, emotion regulation, learning skills, and friendships over the course of one school year. Each participant completed a pre- and post-test survey to measure changes in their functioning and most offered qualitative feedback about the program during focus groups at the end of the year. According the survey data, researchers found a significant increase in social/civic learning from pre-test to post-test. Focus group data included real-life examples from the students about how what they learned impacted their social-emotional and behavioral functioning, as well as student feedback on the implementation and structure of the trauma-focused groups