Simple Strategies for Supporting Students with Challenging Histories

Jon Barberio, MA, LPCA — Edited by Richard Van Acker, EdD — 5 minute read
While the title is “Supporting Students with Challenging Histories”, the reality for many educators is that history isn’t that long ago for children suffering from traumatic experiences. In some cases, it may only be a few hours ago. In my line of work, I have learned that for something to be internalized as a traumatic event, three components are required:

  1. Life-threatening event(s), or one that is perceived as life-threatening

  2. Helplessness over the situation or loss of control

  3. Absence of a safe, caring, non-judgmental support system after the event occurs

If the third part of the “Trauma Triangle” is not met and they DO have a supportive environment, children have an amazing resilience to heal from the most egregious of experiences. If indeed they have symptoms of PTSD, likely they are still not a part of a loving, supportive, and empathetic family system and the trauma is still being experienced.

Our bodies are programmed to keep us safe and when we experience a scary event, it engrains it in our bodies in an attempt to prevent it ever happening again. Our lower-level brain functioning takes control, the upper-level functioning such as memory, self-control, and self-regulation, is pushed to the side, and the amygdala writes in permanent marker “Never Again” across the mind and body. The child may try to move on but to quote Dr. Van Der Kolk, “the body keeps the score”. It never forgets, it never relaxes.

Students with traumatic backgrounds will present one of two symptoms: hyper or hypo arousal. You will see this as ADHD or depression; volatile reactions or aloofness and being easily triggered or absent-minded. The flight, fight, freeze, or fawn response will be their default reaction. Paying attention in class, engaging classmates, and self-regulating during tests… will not be.

So what can you as an educator do to help? Well, a lot actually. In an ideal world, you would know the students with multiple adverse childhood experiences and if you expect one child may have had a tough upbringing, ask a counselor to do an assessment, it only takes us 15 minutes. But you don’t always know who these students are and that’s ok, these practical things you can do will be helpful no matter what they're going through.

The foundation for working with students with trauma history is remembering the three “R’s”: rhythm, regulation, and relationships.
The foundation for working with students with trauma history is remembering the three “R’s”: rhythm, regulation, and relationships.
Jon Barberio, MA, LPCA
Traumatic memories are “stored” in the lower levels of the brain. This part of the brain deals with the most primitive part of function, breathing, heartbeat, and self-regulation. This is the part of the brain we MUST engage with if we are to help students with trauma.

Predictable rhythms become engrained in students and lead them to feel safe and calm. Even changing seating arrangements may send a 6th grader into a slight fight or flight response because their brain has already activated their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the frontal cortex (self-awareness, decision making) is offline. Their bodies are telling them “Run! Danger!” so they sit in their seats fidgeting, not paying attention, and interrupting due to the influx of adrenaline that they don’t even notice.

 As much as possible, seek to keep stressors predictable and with clear time limits. An example would be letting these students take ownership of when they do a class presentation; allow them to choose when they present, have a fidget toy, sit in your chair and rock, or only focus on you, smiling at them in the back of the classroom. Be mindful that their brains are subconsciously scanning for threats and any unforeseen change necessitating a degree of discomfort will be experienced as an invisible threat.

Regulation is our ability to align ourselves with our environment. Students with trauma do not have the ability to regulate themselves like others do, remember their SNS is overstimulated.

Teaching self-regulatory skills to these students is a wonderful tool for helping them to self-soothe in a healthy way. These mindfulness activities will benefit the whole class- even you!

My favorites are playing a video from YouTube teaching full-body relaxation, Dr. Shauna Shapiro has some great options. Deep breathing training is a staple with every trauma client I see, they get taught this the very first session. Box breathing is great, but I prefer what I call 5-2-7 breathing. Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 2, breathe out for 7. The exact time isn’t important, I suggest they find their own time frame that feels comfortable, which also gives them more ownership over their self-regulatory ability. The key here is to breathe out slower and longer than the inhalation. This slows norepinephrine levels (the stress hormones) as well as lowers heart rate.

Grounding with a mint is a great technique as well. Have students suck a peppermint and ask them to immerse themselves in the sensation: is it hot or cold? Can you make the flavor change? Can you feel the sensation going to your lungs? If it had a color as you breathe out, what is it? Is it shrinking? As they do this, I encourage them to scam their body for any tense muscle, starting at their toes and going to the forehead, relaxing any muscle they can, letting their body “melt” off their skeleton.

The last is the most important: Relationship. Being a safe person who engages students where they are and names their pain is paramount in helping and healing students with trauma. Remember, these children can’t regulate themselves so it is your job to be the non-anxious presence in their classroom world. Raising your voice or even standing above eye level when correcting can send the alarms off. Again, they are scanning for threats 24/7.

As much as you feel comfortable, help students to name what they may be feeling in a curious, non-judgmental manner. “It looks like you are trying really hard and it’s not coming together, I bet that’s frustrating. Take a second to do some breathing exercises and circle back when you’re ready.”

If you are frustrated with your students I promise you, they 100% know it. Children and young adults with a trauma history are smarter than you or me. They can’t name how they feel, they just know something is off, the alarm bells sound, and their bodies either shut down or go high alert. Knowing someone is there for them and really cares about them is a balm to a broken heart.
Knowing someone is there for them and really cares about them is a balm to a broken heart.
Jon Barberio, MA, LPCA
Thank you so much for taking time to read this. Thank you so much for caring. It is estimated that 1 in 5 students have a traumatic event(s) in their history. Modern research and experience have taught me that meaningful relationships where someone is seen, known, connected, and loved are the best ways to treat youths with trauma. While the task may seem daunting I want to leave you with this: I had worked with a wonderful 10-year-old little boy with an EXTENSIVE trauma history for 6 months and we were making good but slow progress. He switched classrooms and thus teachers and his progress grew exponentially. His new teacher was calm and compassionate and took time to attune to his emotions. She would get at his eye level to correct him with a hand on his shoulder. In two months, he made more progress than the 6 with me. That teacher forever changed his life.
Modern research and experience have taught me that meaningful relationships where someone is seen, known, connected, and loved are the best ways to treat youths with trauma.
Jon Barberio, MA, LPCA
written by

Jon Barberio

Jon Barberio works with clients to explore their stories and the narratives others have written for them that they no longer wish to own while helping change unhealthy and untrue thoughts and beliefs that lead to negative experiences. He loves teaching families to be curious about the systems they are a part of and how they each affect each other because no one person is “the problem.” Outside of his professional work, he loves reading fiction, playing any competitive sport, playing board games, having thought-provoking conversations by a fire, and would own way too many project cars if he could. Jonathon is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate with his Bachelors in Psychology and Theology, Masters in Clinical Counseling, and has certifications in rational emotive behavioral therapy, cognitive process therapy, and trauma-focused behavioral therapy.

EDITED BY DR. RICHARD VAN ACKER

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