A Trauma Informed School

It’s not the size of the incident or the significance of the events. It’s a child’s ability to process it and what protective factors are around them at the time that will determine if they are traumatised. 

Some people will be able to endure significant adverse childhood experience because they have a loving family, a kind school and many things to insulate them from the damage this can cause. Others will have seemingly minor setbacks but because there is no one looking out for them, it’s traumatising. 

This is important because it affects the neurochemistry of the child. Too much childhood trauma can permanently change the chemistry of the brain and the young persons reactions to situations. In some cases, actually “switching off” parts of the brain that relate to decision making, risk taking, controlling emotions and actions.

These reactions are in all of us and serve a useful function when presented with life threatening situations. In people with childhood trauma this can be triggered by simple everyday experiences such as a place, a word or the smell of a roast dinner! Once exposed to this their brain and body will be flooded with hormones to help them survive. Prolonged exposure to these hormones ultimately will lead to premature death.  

Trauma Informed Schools and the work Running Deer has done with them has taught us that with the right support, practise, and attention we can lessen the impact of these experiences on young people. We can begin to undo changes that these experiences have caused and help support them to recognise this, own them and move on. It taught us that our core values of empathy, time, space, non-judgement and acceptance alongside high-quality relationship and a genuine curiosity about the young person will help support these young people in the best way possible. Reducing these triggering events and ultimately helping them live longer and understand why they are who they are. 

This is why a trauma informed approached is so important, vital to our work at Running Deer. Because until we can get to a place along side the young person where they can access formal learning, and traditional “school” activities, we can’t move forward in that way. If all we do with a young person is support them to access their experiences and feel what’s happened in a safe and supportive way then we must value that as progress just as much as academic achievement.