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Design as the Missing Variable in Trauma-Informed Schools

Authors:
Dak Kopec at University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Dak Kopec
J. Davis Harte at Boston Architectural College
J. Davis Harte
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Abstract

Trauma-informed school models are making important headway in the ability for properly trained teachers and staff to address the complex needs of traumatized students. However, there is a growing awareness of the need for the school’s built and ambient environment to be able to support trauma-informed practices and policies. This chapter provides context and insight to better understand the connection between the mental, emotional and physiological responses of these students, with the lens of how the physical environment may perpetuate their stress-loads or, conversely, how the school spaces can be thoughtfully designed so as to facilitate lower stress-levels. For example, the built environment can be designed to express dignity, respect and personal autonomy, which can support the development of self-regulation skills, healthy coping mechanisms and, ideally – healing.
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SECOND
EDITION
Supporting
and Educating
Traumatized
Students
A
Guide
for School-Based
Professionals
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Edited
by
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ERIC ROSSEN
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Supporting
and
Educating
Traumatized
Students
A
Guide
for
School-Based
Professionals
SECOND
EDITION
EDITED
BY
ERIC
ROSSEN,
PHD,
NCSP
OXFORD
VN
IV
BRSITY PRBSS
... The application areas of traumainformed design include, but are not limited to, architecture, interior design, landscape design, and user experience design [10]. Specific applications of trauma-informed design are seen in creating safe classroom environments to guide students [50], and creating school environments (including student-teacher relations) that centers SEL [6]. Additionally, Bollo [10] explores trauma-informed design of supportive housing in the justice system, such as the Hope Street women's residential center that incorporates the value of safety in design at all stages of the counseling services [62]. ...
Understanding how technology can support social-emotional learning of children: a dyadic trauma-informed participatory design with proxies
Conference Paper
Full-text available
  • Feb 2023
Trauma-informed design is an important yet challenging area due to required expertise for careful engagement with the vulnerable and traumatized person, particularly with children. While technologies have the potential to generate value for the person with experience of trauma, the risk of exposing them to additional trauma due to research and design has ethical implications. We explore this space by engaging with therapists and social workers as dyads of proxies for parents and children with a history of trauma. We conducted a study as a participatory workshop with proxies to understand how technology could support parents in coaching social-emotional learning during episodes of high intensity emotion and difficult behavior by the child. Our findings identified design qualities to embed in SEL technology, and three roles that parents can play in implementing SEL strategies at home. We contribute a set of seven methodological guidelines for dyadic trauma-informed participatory design with proxies.
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... The recent establishment of the Trauma-informed Design Society in the United States, founded by Roche, Cowart and Harte, seeks to translate research into practice and to assist organizations in creating 'stress-reducing physical spaces' [17]. The implications of a trauma-informed approach to design have been applied in a number of settings including female correctional facilities [15], residential treatment centers for children [16], and schools [18]. A recent publication by Schroeder et al. [19] has also introduced the notion of 'trauma-informed neighborhoods', aligned with research that contends that mental health and wellbeing is as much, if not more, closely linked with qualities of the broader neighborhood and community than with individual buildings [20]. ...
Trauma-Informed Design of Supported Housing: A Scoping Review through the Lens of Neuroscience
Article
Full-text available
There is growing recognition of the importance of the design of the built environment in supporting mental health. In this context, trauma-informed design has emerged as a new field of practice targeting the design of the built environment to support wellbeing and ameliorate the physical, psychological and emotional impacts of trauma and related pathologies such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). With high levels of prevalence of PTSD among people escaping homelessness and domestic violence, a priority area is the identification and application of evidence-based design solutions for trauma-informed supported housing. This study sought to examine the scope of existing evidence on the relationship between trauma, housing and design and the correlation of this evidence with trauma-informed design principles, and to identify gaps and opportunities for future research. In response to the commonly articulated limitations of the evidence-base in built environment design research, we combined a scoping review of literature on trauma, housing and design with insights from neuroscience to focus and extend understanding of the opportunities of trauma-informed design. We found that while limited in scope, there is strong alignment between existing evidence and the principles of trauma-informed design. We also identify three areas of future research related to the key domains of safety and security; control; and enriched environments.
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Applying Trauma-Informed Design Principles to Therapeutic Residential Care Facilities to Reduce Retraumatization and Promote Resiliency Among Youth in Care
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2023
  • J Child Adolesc Trauma
Purpose: This conceptual paper connects the literature on the experiences and needs of youth in therapeutic residential care, trauma-informed frameworks utilized in these settings, and early research on trauma-informed design to facilitate an understanding of these connections and move towards developing a blueprint for trauma-informed design in residential settings for traumatized youth. Methods: A critical literature review drawing on trauma theory, trauma-informed care, evidence-based design, and trauma-informed design was conducted to inform the argument presented in this conceptual paper. Results: While many therapeutic residential care models engage trauma-informed care approaches to support staff in promoting healing environments for youth who have histories of complex trauma, the focus has remained on the psychosocial environment of care, and has yet to be systematically applied to the design of the built environment in which these programs are implemented. By applying the principles of trauma-informed care to the built environment, trauma-informed design has the potential to reduce retraumatization and promote resiliency among youth in care. Conclusions: Ultimately, this conceptual paper illustrates the value of further developing trauma-informed design principles to apply to settings that serve traumatized youth, such as therapeutic residential care facilities.
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How comprehensive is post-occupancy feedback on school buildings for architects? A conceptual review based upon Integral Sustainable Design principles
Article
  • Apr 2022
  • BUILD ENVIRON
This review contributes to the debate regarding feedback needed by architects and building designers to improve the sustainability of their building designs. It utilizes the Integral Sustainable Design framework to harness a more comprehensive definition of sustainability to examine the breadth of currently possible feedback to building designers. The review acknowledges the multiple stakeholders that partake in different stages of a building project and focusses specifically on feedback from completed buildings for architects and designers. This review has endeavoured to summarize the range of current feedback which may be available to architects and draw conclusions regarding the usefulness of some of the assessment methods. There are some aspects of sustainability that have well developed and agreed feedback measures, such as energy use, embodied energy, and Indoor Air Quality. Other aspects about which there has been some research but no agreement on feedback include feeling safe, ecosystem services, and inclusiveness. This review reveals important feedback aspects not covered by either research, sustainability ratings schemes or post occupancy evaluation methods. Indeed, there are many aspects of the sustainability of school buildings about which very little is known, such as physical externalities and community services and the building's effect on socialisation and sense of place. Direct feedback in these areas will increase the pace of sustainability improvement in school design. However, further research is required to determine aspects about which architects desire feedback would find most useful and to develop efficient feedback methods. t.
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The prevalence of adverse childhood experiences, nationally, by state, and by race/ethnicity
Research
Full-text available
  • Feb 2018
A growing body of research has made it increasingly apparent that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a critical public health issue. ACEs are potentially traumatic experiences and events, ranging from abuse and neglect to living with an adult with a mental illness. They can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being in childhood or later in life. This brief uses data from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) to describe the prevalence of one or more ACEs among children from birth through age 17, as reported by a parent or guardian. The data are representative at national and state levels. The study team estimated the national prevalence of eight specific ACEs and compared the prevalence of these ACEs across states. To examine prevalence differences by race/ethnicity and geography, we used the nine geographic divisions used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Economic hardship and divorce or separation of a parent or guardian are the most common ACEs reported nationally, and in all states. Just under half (45 percent) of children in the United States have experienced at least one ACE, which is similar to the rate of exposure found in a 2011/2012 survey.* In Arkansas, the state with the highest prevalence, 56 percent of children have experienced at least one ACE. One in ten children nationally has experienced three or more ACEs, placing them in a category of especially high risk. In five states—Arizona, Arkansas, Montana, New Mexico, and Ohio—as many as one in seven children had experienced three or more ACEs. Children of different races and ethnicities do not experience ACEs equally. Nationally, 61 percent of black non-Hispanic children and 51 percent of Hispanic children have experienced at least one ACE, compared with 40 percent of white non-Hispanic children and only 23 percent of Asian non-Hispanic children. In every region, the prevalence of ACEs is lowest among Asian non-Hispanic children and, in most regions, is highest among black non-Hispanic children.
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Trauma-Informed Care Outcome Study
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2018
  • RES SOCIAL WORK PRAC
Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a widely adopted organizational approach to health and human services. The current study occurred within a residential addiction treatment agency and has two aims: To operationalize the processes, an agency can take to become trauma informed and assesses the impact of a multiyear TIC implementation project on organizational climate, procedures, staff and resident satisfaction, and client retention in treatment. Pearson χ² tests were computed to assess variation in client satisfaction and discharge status, while climate, procedures, and staff satisfaction were assessed by effect size differences. Following TIC implementation, there were positive changes in each of the five outcomes assessed. Workplace satisfaction, climate, and procedures improved by moderate to large effect sizes, while client satisfaction and the number of planned discharges improved significantly. The current study provides support for implementing TIC. Future research may continue to examine the influence of TIC implementation.
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The Value of Implementing TARGET within a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice Setting
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2012
  • J Child Adolesc Trauma
This article describes a nonrandomized program evaluation study of a trauma-focused intervention for youth incarcerated for felony-level offenses in a juvenile justice setting. Thirty-eight youth previously assigned to two mental health units were provided with Treatment as Usual (TAU) plus a one day trauma training for staff, while 36 youth placed on three mental health units during the same time frame were provided with the intervention, which included TAU combined with environmental modifications, additional trauma training for staff, and Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy group for youth. Results showed significant reductions in depression, youth threats toward staff, use of physical restraints, and seclusion rates for youth on the intervention program units when compared with youth on the TAU program units. The youth involved in the intervention program also reported greater hope and optimism.
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Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)Study
Article
  • Jun 2019
  • AM J PREV MED
Background: The relationship of health risk behavior and disease in adulthood to the breadth of exposure to childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, and household dysfunction during childhood has not previously been described. Methods: A questionnaire about adverse childhood experiences was mailed to 13,494 adults who had completed a standardized medical evaluation at a large HMO; 9,508 (70.5%) responded. Seven categories of adverse childhood experiences were studied: psychological, physical, or sexual abuse; violence against mother; or living with household members who were substance abusers, mentally ill or suicidal, or ever imprisoned. The number of categories of these adverse childhood experiences was then compared to measures of adult risk behavior, health status, and disease. Logistic regression was used to adjust for effects of demographic factors on the association between the cumulative number of categories of childhood exposures (range: 0-7) and risk factors for the leading causes of death in adult life. Results: More than half of respondents reported at least one, and one-fourth reported ≥2 categories of childhood exposures. We found a graded relationship between the number of categories of childhood exposure and each of the adult health risk behaviors and diseases that were studied (P < .001). Persons who had experienced four or more categories of childhood exposure, compared to those who had experienced none, had 4- to 12-fold increased health risks for alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, and suicide attempt; a 2- to 4-fold increase in smoking, poor self-rated health, ≥50 sexual intercourse partners, and sexually transmitted disease; and a 1.4- to 1.6-fold increase in physical inactivity and severe obesity. The number of categories of adverse childhood exposures showed a graded relationship to the presence of adult diseases including ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, and liver disease. The seven categories of adverse childhood experiences were strongly interrelated and persons with multiple categories of childhood exposure were likely to have multiple health risk factors later in life. Conclusions: We found a strong graded relationship between the breadth of exposure to abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and multiple risk factors for several of the leading causes of death in adults.
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Neurobiology of Trauma and Mindfulness for Children
Article
  • May 2018
  • J Trauma Nurs
Adverse child experiences (ACEs) have a significant impact on developing children, both physically and psychologically, with ongoing consequences that may manifest throughout adulthood. These negative health consequences can be mitigated if a child is given a supportive environment in which to develop healthy coping mechanisms. Those who specialize in caring for children with ACEs must understand the neurobiology of trauma to conceptualize how trauma triggers the brain and body when encountering stressful events. Mindfulness is an evidence-based practice that can be used as a healthy coping mechanism to develop self-regulation and resiliency in children. The purpose of this article is to provide evidenced-based research on the neurobiology of trauma and mindfulness intervention as a recommended modality for use in children. Furthermore, the content in this article was utilized in developing a training module for a suburban, youth organization that provides residential housing, basic necessities, education, and therapy for children with ACEs. The training module is intended to assist staff members in understanding the neurobiology of trauma and mindfulness techniques in their interactions with the children, thereby improving child-staff relationships and encouraging the development of self-regulation and healthy coping mechanisms.
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Designing Classrooms to Maximize Student Achievement
Article
  • Oct 2014
Improving student achievement is vital for our nation’s competitiveness. Scientific research shows how the physical classroom environment influences student achievement. Two findings are key: First, the building’s structural facilities profoundly influence learning. Inadequate lighting, noise, low air quality, and deficient heating in the classroom are significantly related to worse student achievement. Over half of U.S. schools have inadequate structural facilities, and students of color and lower income students are more likely to attend schools with inadequate structural facilities. Second, scientific studies reveal the unexpected importance of a classroom’s symbolic features, such as objects and wall décor, in influencing student learning and achievement in that environment. Symbols inform students whether they are valued learners and belong within the classroom, with far-reaching consequences for students’ educational choices and achievement. We outline policy implications of the scientific findings—noting relevant policy audiences—and specify critical features of classroom design that can improve student achievement, especially for the most vulnerable students.
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The Biological Effects of Childhood Trauma
Article
  • Apr 2014
Trauma in childhood is a psychosocial, medical, and public policy problem with serious consequences for its victims and for society. Chronic interpersonal violence in children is common worldwide. Developmental traumatology, the systemic investigation of the psychiatric and psychobiological effects of chronic overwhelming stress on the developing child, provides a framework and principles when empirically examining the neurobiological effects of pediatric trauma. This article focuses on peer-reviewed literature on the neurobiological sequelae of childhood trauma in children and in adults with histories of childhood trauma.
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Furniture Forms and Their Influence on Our Emotional Responses Toward Interior Environments
Article
  • Sep 2012
The existing body of literature suggests that evoking emotions through design provides rich interactions. The authors tested Pleasure and Approach reactions of 111 participants toward two curvilinear and two rectilinear simulated interior settings. The curvilinear forms resulted in significantly stronger Pleasure ratings than the rectilinear forms. The circumplexes of emotions indicated that the curvilinear settings elicited higher amounts of pleasant-unarousing emotions (such as feeling relaxed, peaceful, and calm) than the rectilinear settings. The respondents desired to approach those settings more compared with the settings with only rectilinear lines. This research extends the empirical findings for study of emotions and forms by focusing specifically on furniture forms in the interior environment.
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