The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) assess cycling coaches' trauma-related competencies, as measured by trauma knowledge (i.e., trauma-specific education, familiarity with post-traumatic stress [PTS]), stigma of persons with PTS (i.e., fear/dangerousness, help/interact, forcing treatment, negative emotions), and interpersonal skills (i.e., self-reported emotional intelligence, perceived quality of coach-athlete relationships); and (b) examine the influence that trauma knowledge and stigma of persons with PTS has on coaching efficacy specific to coaching trauma-impacted athletes (i.e., trauma-informed coaching efficacy), after controlling for general coaching experience. Descriptive statistics indicated the majority of coaches had no trauma-specific education, a high degree of familiarity with PTS, and a low level of stigma via four attribution variables. Moreover, participants highly appraised their own emotional intelligence, the quality of their coach-athlete relationships, and their trauma-informed coaching efficacy. A hierarchical regression analyses indicated that familiarity with PTS helped to explain additional variance in trauma-informed coaching efficacy over and above demographic and general coach experience variables. The study establishes trauma-informed coaching as a distinct area of research and highlights the need for improved continuing education opportunities for coaches related to psychological trauma and PTS.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention model designed to enhance practitioners’ biological lens when using a biopsychosocial-spiritual model of holistic assessment and planning. The specific intervention utilized is a course curriculum developed to broaden human service professionals’ (including clinical social work professionals) understanding of attachment theory, neuroscience and trauma informed methods of practice. The course teaches professionals how to apply this knowledge to clinical assessment and intervention planning with youth who have experienced significant trauma in their lives and exhibit problems of conduct. Using an experimental design, participants from a large private mental health organization were asked to evaluate the impact of curriculum on their 1) knowledge of attachment theory, trauma informed practice and neurobiology; 2) attitudes concerning the relevance of trauma-informed practice, the biological perspective and consequence focused models of intervention; and 3) assessment and intervention planning strategies. The curriculum focused its application on youth who have experienced significant levels of trauma and display conduct related behavior problems. Group differences for the workshop intervention group and waitlist control group are discussed. Additionally, a preliminary evaluation of differences between two different intervention groups (participants in the Distance Learning version of the course and the Workshop Seminar version of the course) was conducted.

Thesis advisor: Belle Liang / The study of treatments for complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), especially in cases of chronic childhood abuse, has revealed that traditional trauma treatments often lack success due to the complexity of symptom presentation. CPTSD often manifests as a lack of integration between the self and the body. While certain coping strategies used by survivors during the trauma experiences, such as dissociation, may be adaptive in the short-term, prolonged use posttrauma comes at a cost--resulting in a loss of awareness of one's emotional and physical being in the present moment. Mindfulness-based interventions, such as hatha yoga, show promise as alternative or complementary treatments for CPTSD. Furthermore, current trauma treatments have been criticized for their primary focus on psychopathology. More recent conceptualizations of trauma recovery call for a paradigm shift that recognizes not only the need for symptom-reduction, but also the encouragement of positive development and personal growth (i.e., stronger sense of self, relationships with others, and perspective on life). This qualitative study explored the experiences of women with CPTSD in a 10-week, trauma-informed hatha yoga class, specifically examining perceived changes with regard to symptom reduction and personal growth. Six themes were identified through qualitative content analysis. Theme 1 describes the yoga practice and study design characteristics that influenced participants' experiences. Themes 2 through 6 reflect participants' increased feelings of Gratitude and compassion, Relatedness, Acceptance, Centeredness, and Empowerment (referred to as G.R.A.C.E. themes). Findings are discussed in the context of current literature. Limitations of the study are also presented along with recommendations for future research and clinical work. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

abstract: A history of trauma can affect a child’s capacity to express emotions due to the neurological footprints left from neglect and abuse. Oftentimes, children do not have a caregiver as a protector which leaves them vulnerable to harm. In response, children use emotional survival strategies of either flight or fight to adapt to their stressful environment. Occupational Therapy Practitioners (OTP) are positioned to address social and emotional development; however, they often feel ill equipped to address the complexity of trauma and its impact on emotions. OTPs need to look at each sensory system from a nurturing/grounding perspective using movement-based strategies as inroads to address the child’s emotional capacity. A sensory integration intervention, Proprioceptive Activities to Lower Stress (PALS), was developed to study the effect on a six-year-old boy’s expressions of emotions using a single subject design. Three emotions were measured using a facial analysis system, Noldus FaceReader™. The emotions were happiness, sadness, and neutral. Neutral is defined as the level of emotional detachment. Results indicate a statistically significant improvement in the expressions of happiness and sad post the PALS program. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2019

No description available.

The Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) treatment framework is a “whole-systems” intervention which focuses on children and youth with complex trauma histories and attachment difficulties. ARC encourages intervention in layers to build a safe and secure caregiving system around a child. The layers include the child, caregivers, treatment providers, child welfare workers, teachers, and case managers. We developed an ARC Community Based Learning Collaborative (CBCL) to bring these layers together to create a safe andsupportive group experience and environment in which members of the child’s caregiving system can begin to build a common language and understanding of trauma that results in collaborated and coordinated trauma informed interventions to improve symptoms and decrease disrupted placement for youth in care. The overall goal of the ARC CBLC is to build highly functioning teams whose members have the knowledge and skills to apply the core principles of the ARC framework in accordance with their roles in the child’s caregiving system to promote healing and resiliency. This session will outline the development and implementation of the ARC CBLC, outcomes,and lessons learned.

No description available.

In recent years much effort has been dedicated to the purpose of combating commercial sexual exploitation yet there is a lack of concise and comprehensive information on the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to help this population. Research in this field has helped define and illuminate consequences of this lifestyle. The existing literature points to the complexity of the population's needs and the challenges faced when trying to leave 'the life' however there is a dearth of information on what works. The purpose of this project is to identify and summarize the findings of any empirical studies which evaluate interventions that target a successful exit for a life of sexual exploitation. Through a systematic review of results from search term combinations in two academic databases, peer-reviewed journal articles meeting selection criteria were analyzed and themes are presented. Results from the systematic review revealed only a small number of articles for inclusion and they are described in detail in this study. Recommendations for further research and review are also discussed.

Many studies have noted the detrimental impact adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have on individuals’ developmental trajectories and, as a result, the utilization of trauma-informed practices has been of increasing interest within the field of education. Most research on trauma-informed pedagogy is derived from samples of children in grades K-12, whereas research on trauma-informed teaching practices within higher education is comparatively scarce. The specific aims of the current investigation are two-fold. The first aim is to explore the effect of postsecondary instructors’ disciplinary specialization (i.e., person-thing orientation) on their receptivity to compassionate teaching practices. The second aim is to implement a brief (i.e., one hour, single session), asynchronous intervention to inform instructors about ACEs, subsequent effects on learning, and evidence-based, trauma-informed teaching practices. Results indicated that participants’ thing-orientation scores negatively predicted their post-intervention receptivity scores and that there was a significant increase in knowledge about compassionate teaching practices from pre-assessment to post-assessment. Future studies should seek to replicate these findings and continue to identify factors that may influence one’s receptivity to compassionate teaching practices.