Trauma-Aware Education: Teaching Students Who Have Suffered Complex Trauma

When you successfully complete this Microcredential you will have reflected on the importance of trauma-aware education and produced an action plan to support children and young people using trauma-informed practices in a school setting or workplace.

Children and young people who have lived through very difficult or traumatic life circumstances may present with challenging behaviours and need help to feel safe, to self-regulate emotions and to manage their relationships. You will plan how to support a child or adolescent in this situation, how to support the learning of others in your workplace and how to enhance your personal and professional wellbeing whilst working with trauma-impacted young learners.

How prevalent is trauma among students and young people?

In most schools and early childhood education services there are children and young people who have experienced trauma. In fact International studies estimate that 62–68% of young people will have been exposed to at least 1 traumatic event by the age of 17 (Copeland et al. 2007; McLaughlin et al. 2013) 1.

Trauma is not limited to discrete events and is often complex in nature. Repeated relational harm that comes from experiences such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, significant neglect, and family violence, can have a serious impact on the education and lives of children.

As an educator or someone whose work involves the support of children and young people who attend education settings, you have the potential to profoundly enhance the education and future lives of young people through adopting trauma-aware practice.

Harm Minimisation Approaches

Complex trauma affects the physical, emotional and social development of children. In order to minimise harm, teachers and school leaders need to respond appropriately using trauma-informed practices and policies.

In this microcredential, you’ll get an in-depth introduction to what complex trauma is and how it affects young people’s development. You’ll understand the neuroscience behind the behaviours presented by students who have experienced complex trauma. You’ll learn how to apply trauma-aware strategies and policies that will minimise the risk to students and school staff.

Learn with a world leading academic faculty and teaching team

QUT’s Education Faculty is ranked among the Top 100 in the world and is consistently producing world-class, innovative research that advances knowledge in education, generates real-world impact and achieves excellence in research.

Your Lead Educator Dr Judith Howard is a QUT Associate Professor and behaviour specialist, with a career aim to assist schools in adopting neuroscience-informed approaches for supporting students experiencing complex trauma.

Earn valid and relevant professional development

For Australian educators, this microcredential aligns with the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST):

1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 6, 6.1, 6.2

This microcredential also meets the standards set by the Common Microcredential Framework.

Unsure if this microcredential is right for you? Why not take our free short course first to get a taste?

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Trauma-Aware Education
-Teaching students who have suffered Complex Trauma