This evidence-informed doctoral project proposes the development and implementation of a digital manual, "Safe Spaces, Stronger Futures: A Digital Guide for School-Based Occupational Therapy Practitioners Working with Children Experiencing Trauma.” In order to equip occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) with essential trauma-informed practices, this manual offers foundational knowledge on trauma symptomatology, evidence-based strategies, interactive tools, and ongoing support through a professional online community. It aims to enhance school-based OTPs (SB-OTPs) confidence and competence in addressing trauma-related behaviors, fostering environments that support healing and growth for students with trauma histories. A comprehensive literature review was completed by the program author and addressed three key questions: (1) which interventions improve occupational performance in children who have experienced trauma, (2) what design strategies maximize adult learning, and (3) what are effective sensory supports for children with trauma histories. This project aligns with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF), emphasizing mental health, sensory processing, and emotional regulation (OTPF, 2020). A pilot study has been designed to measure the program's effectiveness and to identify potential areas of improvement. This study will involve SB-OTPs from various schools in the Boston area using quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to assess changes in practitioner knowledge, confidence, and the application of trauma-informed strategies. Expected outcomes include significant improvements in SB-OTPs' ability to implement these practices, positively impacting students affected by trauma. Dissemination plans include submitting articles to journals, presenting findings at professional conferences, and leveraging social media and online platforms to reach a broader audience. A dedicated website will ensure ongoing access to the manual and related resources, providing sustained support and professional development for SB-OTPs nationwide.

Childhood trauma, often referred to as America’s hidden crisis, significantly impacts the learning and behavior of students with disabilities (SWD), in particular. SWD who experience or witness trauma face challenges related to discipline, academic achievement, absenteeism, and social and emotional well-being. According to the National Survey on Children’s Health (2021), 16.3% of children served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have encountered two or more adverse childhood experiences by age 18, with over half of the states surpassing the national average. Addressing this urgent concern is difficult due to a shortage of qualified service providers, such as nurses, psychologists, and mental health specialists, and other limitations like lack of resources and funding. However, research indicates schools can implement trauma-informed practices to provide the necessary support for SWD to thrive. This research study explored how an urban school district utilized Advocacy Centers and coaches in elementary schools to support vulnerable students in overcoming trauma and achieving success in their learning environments. Specifically, this qualitative, focused ethnography case study investigated best practices in trauma-informed care provided by four advocacy coaches supporting trauma-impacted SWD in Title I elementary schools in the southeastern United States. The study incorporated participant questionnaires, classroom observations, field notes, semi-structured interviews, and examination of classroom artifacts. Two key themes emerged: (a) building strong relationships with students and (b) promising trauma-informed practices for classrooms. Results of the data analysis indicated that educators must first establish strong, authentic relationships with SWD before being able to effectively integrate trauma-informed practices into their classrooms. Recommendations and implications for future research are presented.

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Structural racism has been identified as a major source of medical vulnerability for urban populations. Police brutality is a consequence of structural racism and a critical social determinant of urban health that is associated with both physical and psychological injury. However, the presence of law enforcement agents is common in the healthcare setting, especially in the emergency department. The emergency department occupies a critical social role as a major source of healthcare for vulnerable urban populations, yet very little is known about patients’ opinions regarding police activity in the ED. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the pathogenic effects of structural racism by designing trauma informed methodology to investigate patient perceptions of police presence in the emergency room. / Urban Bioethics

My study examines trauma informed practice (TIP) policies in BC, Canada. My chosen methodology, what is the problem represented to be (WPR) (Bacchi 2009), makes politics visible in policies. I am interested in the effects of trauma policies on women who experience male violence. How does discourse produce certain effects and constitute specific subjects within these texts? I extend a politicized analysis of TIP policies, specifically, an in-depth feminist post structural analysis. I advance an understanding of the effects of policy, particularly for women who have experienced male violence and who receive services under the TIP guidelines. I note the absence of an intersectional analysis and the lack of attention paid to power relations, specifically associated with the provision of care within the health care system, the construction of the traumatized female subject and the absence of a social justice lens in TIP policies. My study addresses the meanings, and resulting practices arising from the TIP policy and its impacts on women's lived experiences. My feminist post structural analysis provides a critique of TIP policies glaringly absent from the literature. I examine available literature, which evaluates TIP. My analysis deepens the understanding of the policy's inherent assumptions by revealing the problem of trauma, as represented in TIP policies. I explore the emergence of the dominant concept of trauma in the completion of a genealogy of trauma. I uncover the commonly accepted trauma ethos, a set of principles and beliefs about violence against women that has set the path for a trauma discourse in BC's guidelines, policies, and programs. I explore my interest in iv the ontology of trauma, the nature of trauma itself and the way of being when trauma has occurred. While exploring this interest through a genealogy of trauma, I identify five historical figures; the traumatized female figure, the assaulted woman figure, the wounded veteran figure, the colonized Indigenous woman figure and the emancipated woman figure. My study explores how women are obscured and invisible in policies intended to address violence against women. I demonstrate that this invisibility results in gender-neutral policies-if there is no gender-based violence- we, therefore, do not have to think of gender-based treatment. The patriarchal erasure of women from trauma policies continually repositions what the problem is represented to be. These policies constitute women as the less valued subjects, fundamentally damaged and flawed. Trauma policies shape women as people who can damage staff; assuming they are a source of trauma infection; they can infect staff with their trauma resulting in vicarious traumatization of staff. Trauma policies characterize the traumatized female subject as fundamentally different from the staff or the professional expert. Only certain kinds of women can be traumatized, the mentally ill and substance-using women. My study exposes the presupposition embedded in policies that only certain women are violated, and other women are unlike them. This trauma discourse is grounded in racism, colonialism and sexism, built on stereotypical patriarchal representations of women, resulting in the stigmatization of women who experience male violence. / Graduate / 2022-08-25

Abstract available through the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

This thesis evaluated the Trauma-Informed Child Advocacy Certificate (TICA) at Mississippi State University which is hosted in the School of Human Sciences, specifically in the area of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS). HDFS students (N = 94) enrolled in coursework during Spring 2021 participated in the evaluation. Students were grouped by enrollment in TICA courses, with 43 students having participated in TICA coursework and 51 students having only participated in general HDFS courses. Assessments included a perceived knowledge survey and 10 application-based scenarios. Independent samples T-tests indicated TICA students perceived themselves to have more trauma-informed knowledge, and frequency analyses showed they were more effective at applying that knowledge than HDFS students who have not taken any TICA courses. Data were used to highlight strengths of the TICA program and make recommendations on ways to enhance the TICA coursework to promote knowledge of trauma-informed professional practices.

This editorial chapter addresses the problem of burnout in academic libraries by introducing a fusion of principles from trauma-informed care (TIC) and Constructive Living (CL) to offer unique, easy-to-incorporate plans of action to identify and mitigate symptoms of burnout. These two action-based philosophies, which may be new to most readers, provide strategies for considering, practicing, and adopting perspectives and behaviors that may give those suffering from burnout new ways of thinking about their professional and personal lives. We identify accessible opportunities to connect mind and body in self-care to neutralize negative self-talk, regain perspective and balance, and foster lifelong resiliency at a pace wholly determined by the individual and without formal training or expense.