Trauma in Schools—Interviewees

Schedule of Episodes

11/2 — Trauma in Schools #1

Welcome and Overview

Overview: COVID has only served to exacerbated the trauma that many students carry with them through the schoolhouse doors, increasing the need for student trauma to be part of the larger educational conversation.

11/2 — Trauma in Schools #2

Therapeutic Interventions and System Change

Dr. Sandy Bloom — Psychiatrist, Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University

Overview: Teachers need to have greater awareness of student trauma and be part of a whole-school effort to create a safe space for learning.

11/2 — Trauma in Schools #3

The Neuroscience Underpinnings

Dr. Melissa Hughes — Neuroscience researcher, Program Director
Florida “Give Something Back”

Overview: Adverse childhood experiences impede a student’s desire and ability to access the part of their brain associated with learning.

11/2 — Trauma in Schools #4

One District’s Response to Support Students

Viviana Barajas — Certified trainer and consultant Nurtured Heart

Overview: Connecting with students in a meaningful way can help them see that they can be more than how they currently see themselves.

11/9 — Trauma in Schools #5

Visioning to Address Student Trauma

Dr. Christine Mason — Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Educational Improvement

Dr. Renee Owen — Assistant Professor, Southern Oregon University

Overview: Educators need to develop a compassionate, long-term vision to address student wellness and academic achievement.

11/9 — Trauma in Schools #6

Caring for Faculty and Staff Through Mindfulness

Michael Bunting — Leadership Development Expert, Founder / Consultant for the “The Mindful Leader”; author of The Mindful Leader

Overview: The promotion of self-care through mindfulness training helps both teachers and students address the trauma they’re carrying.

11/16 — Trauma in Schools #7

Implicit Bias, Racism, and Discrimination

Dr. Orinthia Harris — Executive Director for STEMearly LLC and Faculty for the Center for Educational Improvement

Overview: Trauma brought about by racism can be channeled into resilience by building an anti-racist space where all students feel safe and heard.

11/16 — Trauma in Schools #8

Moving from Vision to Conversation to Action

Paul Liabenow — Executive Director of MEMSPA (Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association)

Michael Domagalski — President of MEMSPA and Principal at St. Clair Middle School, East China School District, Michigan

Overview: Communication among school leaders and teachers across districts establishes a plan for a better future while working in the present.

11/23 — Trauma in Schools #9

Human-centered Routines that Create the Psychologically Safe School

Dr. Terri Erbacher — School psychologist and Crisis Committee Chairperson at the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania

Overview: Mental health providers can provide critical support to schools and parents who are working to build a safe environment for students.

11/30 — Trauma in Schools #10

Using Simulations to Train Trauma-informed School Personnel

Glenn Albright — Director of Research at Kognito and Associate Professor at Baruch College 

Kim Wieland — Project Manager at Kognito

Overview: Avatar-based simulations about mental health can help teachers work with students who have experienced trauma.

12/2 — Trauma in Schools #11

Integrating Social and Emotional Learning and Academics

David Adams — CEO of The Urban Assembly; board member of CASEL

Overview: Incorporating cognition, emotion, and problem solving in the classroom allows students to flourish in their academic development.

12/7 — Trauma in Schools #12

Addressing Trauma through Mental Health and Compassionate Schools

Dr. Martha Staeheli — Instructor at Yale University School of Medicine

Overview: Educators, parents, and mental health providers need to see themselves as members of a holistic network that prioritizes the support of sound student mental health.

12/9 — Trauma in Schools #13

Making a Paradigm Shift to Address Trauma in Schools

Peyton Barsel — From Trauma to Advocacy: One Student’s Story

Overview: Shedding light on the hidden grief and trauma students experience positively impacts the trajectory of their adulthood and the future of their success.

12/14 — Trauma in Schools #14

Making a Paradigm Shift to Address Trauma in Schools

Mathew Portell — Schools Founder of the Paradigm Shift Education

Overview: Truly trauma-informed schools work with their students faculty members differently than other schools — and get improved results.

12/21 — Trauma in Schools #15

Implementing Mindfulness District-Wide

Jeff Donald — Mindfulness Coordinator at the Montgomery County Schools, Maryland

Overview: Mindfulness practices open the door to a variety of developmental milestones that our current education system is ignoring.

12/28 — Trauma in Schools #16

Nurturing an Oasis for Trauma-impacted Students

Diane Wagenhals — Program Director of the Lakeside Global Institute

Overview: Teachers have to be prepared to embrace students emotionally by knowing how to regulate their own emotional stability.

— 2022 —

1/4 — Trauma in Schools #17

Taking the Positivity Approach to Healing Student Trauma

Sandy Rutledge — Counselor at St. Clair Middle School, Michigan 

Nichole Flynn — Teacher at St. Clair Middle School, Michigan 

Heather Meredith — Teacher at St. Clair Middle School ,Michigan 

Overview: School educators need to see themselves as teachers of kids and their unique mental health needs, not teachers of broad-based curriculum.

1/6 — Trauma in Schools #18

Trauma and Mindfulness

Kahlil Kuykendall — Youth Development Program Consultant and Mindfulness Instructor  at George Washington University

Overview: Teachers can support healing in children who have endured trauma through teaching self-care and positive self-talk skills.

1/11 — Trauma in Schools #19

Advocating for Trauma-informed Schools

Dan Press —Executive Director and General Counsel for the “Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice”

Jesse Kohler — Executive Director at the “Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice”

Overview: When schools leave room for conversations among students and teachers about mental health, conversations about solutions emerge.

1/13 — Trauma in Schools #20

Responding to Trauma-impacted Communities

Janet Pozmantier — Founding Director of the Greater Houston area's first Center for School Behavioral Health

Jennifer Spiegler — VP and Strategic Partnerships at Kognito

Overview: Teachers need training to become the strong and trustworthy core adults that students can depend on in their community.

1/18 — Trauma in Schools #21

Examining Student Trauma Through the Lens of Race

Victoria Romero — Independent Consultant at Corwin

Justin Hendrickson – preK–8th grade public school principal

Overview: Leaders who have courageous conversations about race and ethic practices reduce the experience of discrimination and biases that perpetuate traumatic events among students.

1/21 — Trauma in Schools #22

The Role of the School Social Worker

Amber Warner — Clinical Social Worker at Adventist Health Clearlake and “Feeling Good Institute"

Overview: Caring about teachers' personal health is the foundation needed for teachers to properly support students and guide them toward a safe, positive future.

1/25 — Trauma in Schools #23

Preparing the Next Generation of Trauma-minded School Leaders

Dr. Karen Oehme — Courtesy Research Associate and Director of Florida State University

Dr. John King — Director of the Division of Education, Health, and Leadership, Associate Professor, Southern Oregon University

Overview: Higher education must incorporate neuroscience and trauma-informed teachings for a formal baseline for teachers across the country.

2/1 — Trauma in Schools #24

Teaching, Learning and Trauma

Beth Kelley — Clinically trained and Co-Active™ trained coach and consultant at Beth Kelley Consulting

Brooke O’Drobinak — Coordinator of Professional Learning and Instruction at the ACTION Zone

Overview: Teachers can best show up for youth in a compassionate way by listening to students and creating a safe space for them to thrive and take risks.

2/8 — Trauma in Schools #25

Helping Parents Become their Child's Calm Center

Ruth Freeman — President and Founder at the Peace at Home Parenting Solutions 

Overview: Incorporating parent voices in the school community encourages a healthy relationship with their children to work with teachers and other supportive adults.

2/15 — Trauma in Schools #26

Creating Caring School Environment for Students

Godwin Higa — Adjunct Professor at Alliant International University-San Diego Campus

Overview: A safe and healing environment creates the right neurological conditions for students’ social and academic development, especially when dealing with a traumatic event.

2/22 — Trauma in Schools #27

The Imperative to Focus on the Whole Child

Christine LeGuizamo — School Social Worker at the New Harmony High School, New Orleans, LA

Overview: An emotionally stable school system can only be maintained if there is ongoing self-care and support for students, families and teachers.

3/1 — Trauma in Schools #28

Coaching to Address SEL, Racism and Trauma

Kevin Simpson — Chairman and Founder at KDSL USA and AIELOC

Overview: Today’s teachers must address the implications of racism in the school and fight for a better future for students who have been the victims of discrimination.

3/8 — Trauma in Schools #29

Heart Centered Learning: A Compassionate Approach

Dr. Michele Rivers Murphy — Associate Director at the Center for Educational Improvement and an independent educational consultant at KIDS FIRST

Dr. Yvette Jackson — Emeritus Staff and Founder of  the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education

Modern education is no longer only about academics; it is focused on the incorporation of the mind and body, allowing students to develop effectively.

3/15 — Trauma in Schools #30

Nurturing the Emotionally Safe School Environment

Dana Milakovic — School Psychologist, Mental Health/AOD Specialist at the Pennsylvania Dept of Education

Overview: Working systematically in a multi-tiered system — state, districts, schools — to distribute funds and resources helps integrate equity into trauma-informed practices in school communities.

3/22 — Trauma in Schools #31

Taking a Systematic Approach to Equity at the District Level

Scott Ratchford — Coordinator of Equity Advancement West Hartford, CT

Overview: The classroom can be an equitable, safe, supportive place that students can rely on to help them navigate trauma.

3/29 — Trauma in Schools #32

Understanding Intergenerational Trauma

Richard Matthews — Counsellor at the Cowichan Valley School District

Mary Peter — Vice-Principal, Indigenous Education, Cowichan Valley School District

Overview: Trauma can easily be passed on from one generation to the next, but supportive, trauma-informed teachers can help students become more resilient and eventually break the cycle.

4/5 — Trauma in Schools #33

Trauma and Indigenous People - Recognizing Strengths

Holly Echo-Hawk — Founder of Echo-Hawk & Associates, Consultant

Overview: Youth, especially Native youth, respond strongly to authentic, sincere, encouraging words from adults and hold onto those expressions for the rest of their lives.

4/12 — Trauma in Schools #34

Reducing Trauma’s Impact Through Free Play

Hannah Beach — Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker & Community-Builder

Tamara Strijack — Academic Dean of the Neufeld Institute

Overview: Play-based learning is the crucial, missing part that will guide students to positive mental-health development.

4/19 —Trauma in Schools #35

Balancing Students' Academic and Social/Emotional Needs

Megan Ellis  — Counselor at the Elizabethton City Schools, TN

Dr. Jon Minton — Principal at the Elizabethton City Schools, TN

Dr. Myra Newman — Asst. Director of Schools at the Elizabethton City Schools, TN

Overview: Emotional readiness is needed in schools to prepare students for academic learning and social development from youth to adulthood.

— 2023—

6/18 Trauma in Schools #36

Season 2 Welcome

Dr. Christine Mason — Executive Director of the Center for Educational Improvement and Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Program for Recovery and Community Health. 

Victoria E. Romero – Educational consultant

Overview: Chris and Victoria outline the direction of Season and provide examples of speakers

6/20 — Trauma in Schools #37

The Impact of Poverty and Bias on Student Learning

Horacio Sanchez— Educational consultant

Overview: Educators can promote resilience and equity by addressing poverty-related stress on the brain and implementing emotional regulation strategies to support vulnerable students and create a conducive learning environment.

TBD — Trauma in Schools #38

Mindful School Leadership

Afrika Afeni Mills — Educational consultant

Overview: Open Windows, Open Minds: promoting more reasonable conversations about Racism