Teaching During a Pandemic: A Model for Trauma-Informed Education and Administration

Area of Science:

• Education
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional educational practices, requiring rapid adaptation in teaching, advising, and mentoring.
• Existing educational frameworks needed to incorporate trauma-informed principles to address the widespread impact of the pandemic.
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides guidance on trauma-informed approaches applicable to various sectors, including education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a Model for Trauma-Informed Education and Administration (M-TIEA) for use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To adapt SAMHSA's trauma-informed care principles for educational and academic administration settings.
• To expand the concept of trauma-informed teaching to include administrative decision-making and educator planning.

Main Methods:

• Utilized SAMHSA's four key organizational assumptions for trauma-informed care as foundational elements.
• Integrated SAMHSA's six guiding principles for a trauma-informed approach into educational processes.
• Expanded the definition of teaching within the model to encompass administrative decision-making and educator implementation.
• Considered the influence of intersectional traumas and stressors at multiple socioecological levels within the model's context.

Main Results:

• The M-TIEA model incorporates SAMHSA's assumptions: realizing trauma's effects, recognizing signs, responding through integrated knowledge, and resisting retraumatization.
• SAMHSA's principles—safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural considerations—are infused into administrative and teaching practices.
• The model acknowledges the dynamic interplay of pandemic-related, historical, and general life stressors on trauma-informed work.

Conclusions:

• The M-TIEA provides a framework for educational institutions to adopt a trauma-informed approach during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Implementing M-TIEA can help mitigate the negative impacts of trauma on students and educators.
• The model emphasizes the importance of integrating trauma-informed principles into both policy and practice within academic settings.