Goal: To expand participant’s awareness of the impact of complex trauma on children and families, and to improve effective services within schools to identify symptoms of trauma, respond to symptoms through a trauma-informed lens, and create systemic interventions to promote resilience in children with traumatic stress.

Content and Methods: Schools have the potential to play an integral role in the (re-)establishment of safety and in the healing process for children who have experienced trauma. Specialized attention should be focused on the role of the school system as a primary factor in the intervention and recovery process. This workshop will emphasize, within the school setting, the ways in which to identify trauma symptoms, respond using trauma-informed approaches, and strategies to systemically promote the healing and wellness of students who have experienced trauma. Emphasis will be placed on the role of healthy attachments within the school setting, ways to support schools in the provision of a safe and stable environment, methods of promoting student regulation throughout the school day, and working with students to develop a positive sense of self.