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Trauma informed3/5/2023 ![]() As I was explaining, one of the young men in the group named Marcus abruptly stopped me and said, “I am more than what happened to me, I’m not just my trauma”. During one of our sessions, I explained the impact of stress and trauma on brain development and how trauma can influence emotional health. All of them had experienced some form of trauma ranging from sexual abuse, violence, homelessness, abandonment or all of the above. I first became aware of the limitations of the term “trauma-informed care” during a healing circle I was leading with a group of African American young men. While trauma-informed care offers an important lens to support young people who have been harmed and emotionally injured, it also has its limitations. The assumption is that the disruptive behavior is the symptom of a deeper harm, rather than willful defiance, or disrespect. Rather than using discipline, a school that uses a trauma informed approach might offer therapy, or counseling to support the restoration of that student’s well-being. These schools believe that discipline alone is sufficient to modify undesired classroom behavior, but research shows that school suspensions may further harm students who have been exposed to a traumatic event or experience (Bottiani et al., 2017). Some school leaders believe that the best way to address disruptive classroom behavior is through harsh discipline. Trauma-informed care has become an important approach in schools and agencies that serve young people who have been exposed to trauma, and here’s why. Trauma informed care encourages support and treatment to the whole person, rather than focusing on only treating individual symptoms or specific behaviors. Trauma informed care broadly refers to a set of principles that guide and direct how we view the impact of severe harm on young people’s mental, physical, and emotional health. In efforts to support young people who experience trauma, the term “trauma-informed care” has gained traction among schools, juvenile justice departments, mental health programs and youth development agencies around the country. More recently, practitioners and policy stakeholders have recognized the impact of trauma on learning, and healthy development. ![]() I have, for the most part, attempted to nudge and cajole each of these approaches to consider the unique ways in which race, identity and social marginalization influence the development of youth of color. Since that time, a range of approaches have influenced how we think about young people, and consequently our programmatic strategies. Youth development offered an important shift in focus from viewing youth as problems to be solved to community assets who simply required supports and opportunities for healthy development. ![]() In the early 2000’s the term “youth development” gained currency and had a significant influence on youth development programs, and probably more importantly how we viewed young people. Researchers and practitioners alike clamored over strategies to build more resilient youth. I recall during the early 1990s experts promoted the term “resiliency,” which is the capacity to adapt, navigate and bounce back from adverse and challenging life experiences. I’ve been involved with this process for long enough to have participated in each of these roles. ![]() The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagementįrom time to time, researchers, policy makers, philanthropy and practitioners all join together in a coordinated response to address the most pressing issues facing America’s youth.
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