Topic today: Trauma
As you work with others, it is always helpful to have an organized approach for positive results. While being a leader in a school, I knew every minute was valuable. Having a focused plan, a weekly or daily announcement to staff needed to be structured to support our goals and having conversations they needed/wanted to hear. How do you do that?
Be alert and aware of what is needed to be placed in written form and what is required to be verbalized. Staff does not need to come to a meeting to have you read from a paper; they can do this themselves. You have things you need to say, and they need to hear you say, especially as we return face to face.
No matter what level you are, working with others or being part of a group, it is essential to understand how to support, deal with and monitor the signs of trauma. Trauma, we can clearly state, is something every child and adult has experienced at some level due to Covid-19.
Trauma
- We are living lives impacted by trauma that others could not have predicted.
- Some are living in situations where family members are part of the circumstances of the trauma.
- Some have lost a loved one (grandparent, parent, sibling, child).
- We are living in uncertain and constantly changing circumstances.
- Some are living in areas of daily violence and fear.
- There are many more things we can list to add for traumatic events contributing to trauma in the lives of those around us.
What can we do in regards to trauma? Prevention is always the first step in the solution process but never the only step. If prevention is not something we can do, there are several things to do to help trauma victims.
Action Steps
- Prevention steps always step one in solving problems before they happen and preventing them from reoccurring.
- Deal with immediate needs, fears and concerns.
- Restore the sense of normalcy with structure, routines and predictable schedules.
- Montior behaviors and emotional responses. (Trauma can linger in individuals for a long time and reoccur with outbursts, depression and other unusual behaviors.)
- Talk with individuals about what they are feeling.
- Refer to professionals if there is no improvement. (Do not overreact, it does take a little time to deal with Traumatic events)
I am not a physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist, but a survivor of a traumatic event and traumatic brain injury. The injuries are life-long but not something you cannot deal with each day. The step about daily routines and structure, this one was critical for me. I needed this to help me in my healing. When things were changed, it threw me off completely. So think about those changes for your students with special needs; they really can not help the behavior. It is a response that is natural to them. Routines are safe for them/us. When we do not have the routine, schedule or sense, or normal, it brings the trauma back to us.
Talking Trauma is not a one-time talk. We need to talk more! There are many things we need to put into practice, take time to have discussions and understand we have all experienced Trauma. Practicing self-care is so important. Letting others know mental health needs are okay, we need to talk to professionals and be treated. Mental health issues does not mean a thing. Let’s stop labeling things please.
Thanks for talking Tuesday! Please add your comments so we can gain more insight to this topic. #Bethesolutiondaily