Recently there has been a lot of talk in academia about trauma-informed leadership practices and what can be gained from them. Trauma-informed leadership considers the effect trauma can have on communication and learning. For many years I thought “trauma” could only result from a catastrophic experience, and that those experiences were singular and uncommon. Given the ongoing tumult of the last several years, I think all of us can now say that we have experienced trauma on some level, and more importantly, the students we work with every day have experienced it (whether that’s the word they would use for it or not). Trauma-informed practices can help us all as teachers, leaders, and learners. So, what are trauma-informed practices and how do we implement them?

Before we delve into the practices, we need to rethink our definition of trauma. Trauma is actually not tied to a particular type of event; in fact, no event is inherently traumatic. Trauma only arises in a situation when our internal resources are not able to cope with external stressors; that sense of powerlessness causes us to record it as traumatic.

Judith Herman, in her book Trauma and Recovery, states, “Traumatic events [are events that] overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection, and meaning .... Traumatic events are extraordinary, not because they occur rarely, but rather because they overwhelm the ordinary human adaptations to life.”

Thinking about our students and the kinds of rapid adaptations that are required of them as they transition out of their childhood home and into a campus environment, we can start to understand why something that we take for granted could be traumatizing to someone with different (and perhaps inadequate) coping mechanisms. Students can easily become overwhelmed by the demands on them, and this can have a negative effect on both students and the university community.

Furthermore, the effect of trauma on an individual is not always what we expect. I used to believe that trauma-sufferers must show obvious signs of distress, but traumatized individuals can exhibit a range of maladaptive behaviors that mask what is happening inside: automatic distrust of authority figures, disinterest in work or friendships, difficulty focusing, memory lapses, indecisiveness. Outwardly, a traumatized person might seem uninterested, confrontational, or immature. We might assume someone is spoiled or undisciplined when trauma has actually diminished their ability to function.

Luckily, there are things that we can learn how to do as teachers and leaders to help traumatized people build resiliency. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) concept of a trauma-informed approach, a program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed:

1. Realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery;
2. Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system;
3. Responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and
4. Seeks to actively resist re-traumatization.

First, trauma-informed leaders always prioritize safety. Even after a traumatic situation has ended, traumatized individuals often feel as if the stress or trauma is continuing. This leads to hypervigilance, which takes up an enormous amount of energy and diminishes space for curiosity, exploration, and learning. If leaders prioritize safety in our words and actions, we can open the door to building trust with a traumatized individual.

Part of creating a safe environment means being transparent with our expectations. Professors can do this by creating clear lesson plans, providing multiple channels for students to receive information about the course, and making it clear how students can get answers to their questions (posting office hours, having an email policy). For managers, this can mean meeting with employees and clarifying rules and expectations, and putting things in writing so both parties can refer to the agreed upon terms.

Developing a culture of appreciation can also foster a sense of safety and community, in both classroom and work environments. Positive feedback, celebrating milestones, and giving thoughtful and meaningful rewards can build a healthy, collaborative culture where everyone feels seen and valued. These efforts can create a psychologically safe environment that allows students to feel that they can participate in discussions without being shamed or laughed at, and employees can know that their presence matters, and their contributions are valued. 

There are many more ways that we can incorporate a trauma-informed approach to our work. For more information, take a look at the web page developed by First Year Seminars with information and links about how to incorporate trauma-informed practices in the classroom: https://fys.uiowa.edu/toolkit/trauma-informed-teaching.

University of Iowa employees have access to the LinkedIn Learning program “Becoming a Trauma Informed Leader that can be viewed it the following link: UIowa LinkedIn Learning - "Becoming a Trauma Informed Leader"

Our undergraduates can complete a certificate in Resilience and Trauma Informed Perspectives administered by the School of Social Work. Mental Health at Iowa also maintains a webpage with more information: https://mentalhealth.uiowa.edu/recovery/trauma-informed-care

For more information on trauma-informed leadership and upcoming online training opportunities, check out the Association of Mental Health Coordinators at www.associationmhc.com/training.

Cover image by Getty Images Signature.