| Abstract | Complex developmental trauma can lead to many psychological and behavioral issues in children. Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI) is a trauma-informed, evidence-based therapeutic model to care for children who have experienced complex developmental trauma. One thing that almost all children experiencing trauma have in common is that they are required to attend school. Teachers are the caregivers spending the most time with children second to their families, and in some cases, primary to their families. The effects of trauma are known to impact school behavior and performance. Children who have experienced trauma are more frequently referred for special education and disciplinary action, test lower than their peers, and fail out of school at higher rates. Despite these unfortunate facts, research has shown that schools can help promote resilience to mitigate the effect trauma has on students by creating trauma-informed classrooms. The TBRI & Trauma-Informed Classroom training is an online training that is available to the general public. Participants who completed this training were surveyed in order to assess the quality and the outcomes of the training, as well as ways to improve comprehension and implementation. This study had three main findings. First, participants are successfully implementing TBRI. Second, the training could be improved by the addition of live training sessions and classroom specific content. Finally, a lack of organizational buy-in is a hinderance to TBRI implementation for some. Understanding how this training is translating to practice is essential for future trainings. Creating trauma-informed classrooms that serve as places of healing for children who have experienced trauma is vital to the well-being of students who are in them. |
