by Ralph Rothacker, MS

(The original article was published in the Attach Trauma Network newsletter. For additional Information about ATN, please visit www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org.)

I became the Director of Education at St. Anne Institute in September of 2015 after a thirty-five-year career as a teacher and administrator in public education. In October of that year, I reached out to The Attachment and Trauma Network (ATN) for some Trauma-Sensitive Schools training, and Dr. Sadin and her team came to our school for a full day. Her message was so powerful that I cornered her during lunch and said, “I want in.”

Since implementing a more TSS focus, we now have over 90% of our students with overall passing averages. Additionally, critical behavior incidents are down by more than 85%, and the overall culture is more positive and pleasant. In order to accomplish this, we made one dramatic change that affected everything we do. We put the academic expectations as priority #2, and moved social and emotional learning (SEL) to the top of the list. To do it in any other order would be a disservice to our students. Now, we look at all of our interactions and decisions through the SEL lens. We have grown to understand that meaningful learning will not take place until our students are regulated, feel safe, and are emotionally connected to an adult. Lastly, we accepted that vicarious trauma is real and at times we all need to tap out. This is not a sign of weakness but rather an acknowledgment of the widespread detrimental effects of trauma.

I wish I could say that there is a special wand, program, or manual that would immediately transform a school into a trauma-sensitive school (TSS). However, trauma-sensitive schools are created by reflecting upon and, in many cases, overhauling the fundamental beliefs and practices regarding how we act towards and interact with each other. It doesn’t matter what the relationship is:
teacher/student, parent/child, therapist/client or any other combination. We need to focus our attention on building trusting and caring relationships.

There is clear scientific evidence that the brains of people who have suffered trauma, particularly developmental trauma or DT, are reprogrammed for survival. This is often referred to as using the primitive brain or downstairs brain. When the brain enters survival mode it becomes consumed with mitigating the perceived immediate danger. This causes the brain to expend its energy on “in the moment” thinking. Many people with DT spend the majority of their time in this state. As a result, the brain becomes accustomed to the feelings associated with being in that state and often seeks to return whenever possible. Therefore, the primitive brain often becomes the dominant and preferred state.

The control center for the primitive brain is the amygdala, and when it senses danger it commands the protective Primitive Brain into action and shuts down the other sections. Over time, the primitive brain becomes overdeveloped and the other parts of the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, begin to lag significantly in development. Unfortunately for students with DT, the prefrontal cortex is the section of the brain called to duty most often in schools. The prefrontal cortex serves to help perform higher level tasks such as cause and effect, logic, time management, judgement, and delayed gratification. Knowing this helps educators to better understand why a student is acting or reacting the way she is. The skills she requires to stay regulated during certain trigger situations have not been fully developed. It’s not that she won’t do what you’re asking, it’s that she can’t. It’s not defiance. It is confusion and embarrassment, so her brain slips back to where it is most comfortable ….. survival mode.

As the adults we must be the first ones to change the way we respond to inappropriate behavior, and interpret it as a physical signal for assistance. It’s important to remember that in order to help someone who is dysregulated, the person helping must remain regulated him/herself. By mere definition alone, co-regulation can’t take place if the adult is not regulated. We must put our oxygen mask on first before helping others. Earlier I mentioned that Trauma-Sensitive Schools are founded on a belief system. As a society, most of us have been raised to believe that good behavior deserves reward and bad behavior gets punished. The concept of rewards and punishment lies in the prefrontal cortex and science tells us that this area of the brain is significantly delayed in people with DT. Therefore, rewards and punishment rarely work for this population. Students who suffer from DT find rewards and punishment too abstract and confusing, and more often than not it just reinforces their feeling of unworthiness.

When someone’s brain is controlled by the downstairs section there is little we can do to reason with him, because reasoning and logic take place in another part of the brain that is temporarily unavailable. Thinking “how do I stop him from acting this way?” is not going to work. He doesn’t have the skills at the moment. As the adult and co-regulator we should be asking, “What can I do differently to help him become regulated?” The adult needs to take on the responsibility of controlling the situation in a calm, reassuring, and unconditionally loving manner. Once the storm has passed, it’s important to note that the outburst of behavior was a symptom of an underlying issue. Next steps would be to work with the child to identify the missing skills and develop a plan to do some explicit instruction and practice in that area. Students can’t change their behavior if they don’t know how to do so.

We also know that, for many people with a trauma history, attachment to a loving caregiver during their early years was absent. It’s easy to see why they often overreact with little compassion for the people around them. They don’t care what they do, what they say or the associated outcomes. Their brains have been wired to survive the situation. The single most effective way to begin to rewire their brain is to give them the unconditional support they need, especially in times of crisis. At Saint Anne we have a motto, “Every day is a new day,” and sometimes we even break that down further into, “Every class is a new class.” Students with DT need to know and believe that the people closest to them will never stop supporting them.

In closing, let me leave you with a few final tips to keep in mind:

• Believe that people are acting the best they can under the conditions (Can’t vs Won’t).
• Refrain from blame and embrace the responsibility to help them regulate. Remember, all behavior is communication.
• Take the time to help them learn and practice the specific skills that are lagging (organization, time management, goal setting, cause and effect, judgement, etc.).
• Don’t take things personally; it’s not about you.
• Be there unconditionally. Every day is a new day.

RALPH K. ROTHACKER, M.S.
Ralph has dedicated over thirty-five years to public education. His multiple degrees from the New York State University system have afforded him the unique opportunity to teach and serve as a school leader at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Ralph retired as a public school administrator in 2013, and currently serves as the Director of Education at Saint Anne Institute, located in Albany, New York. St. Anne’s is a residential and day service facility for adolescent girls who have been identified by the courts and public schools as “Difficult to Place”. Ralph and his staff are committed to creating and maintaining a trauma sensitive school environment where all students feel safe and high academic expectations are achieved. Ralph also serves as a board member and TSS trainer for ATN.