An independent educational resource for teachers, school counsellors, and administrators
Trauma Support for Schools
Trauma-informed education, in practice
For educators & school teams

Practical support for students who have lived through trauma

Clear, research-informed guidance on what trauma looks like in the classroom, and what actually helps: strategies for teachers, support for staff, and pathways to community care.

Explore the topics Summit resource archive
Illustration of a teacher listening at eye level to a student in a calm, sunlit classroom
Safety, connection, and consistency: the foundations of a trauma-informed classroom.

Content draws on publicly available research and guidance from organisations such as the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, SAMHSA, and the CDC, with sources cited on every page.

Six areas of practice

The core guides on this site, written for school counsellors, vice-principals, and classroom teachers.

1

Trauma-informed classroom strategies

Predictable routines, regulation supports, and responses that de-escalate rather than punish.

Read the guide
2

Supporting staff wellbeing

Compassion fatigue and professional quality of life: caring for the adults who care for students.

Read the guide
3

Using data to identify students

Screening approaches, warning signs, and referral pathways that respect privacy and consent.

Read the guide
4

Family trauma and the opioid crisis

Supporting students whose families are affected by substance use, loss, and instability.

Read the guide
5

Trauma and special education

Where trauma meets IEPs: accommodations, behaviour plans, and collaborative problem-solving.

Read the guide
6

Connecting students to community care

Building working partnerships between schools and community mental health services.

Read the guide
Featured article ยท For educators

Common trauma symptoms in students, and helpful strategies for educators

Withdrawal, hypervigilance, sudden outbursts, falling grades: how trauma commonly shows up at school, how to tell it apart from defiance, and the classroom strategies with the strongest evidence behind them.

Read the article

Inside the article

  • Symptoms by age group: elementary, middle, and high school
  • Trauma responses vs. wilful behaviour: a comparison table
  • Ten classroom strategies, explained and sourced
  • When and how to refer a student for more support

From the summit archive

Materials from the virtual summit on supporting students and educators dealing with trauma, preserved here as a free resource archive.

Summit sessions

The session topics and themes: classroom strategies, educator wellbeing, and cross-state collaboration on the opioid crisis.

Additional resources

The summit's curated reading and resource list: frameworks, toolkits, and further guidance for school teams.

The cross-state collaborative

How schools across several states worked together on trauma and the opioid crisis, and what they learned.

For parents and families

If you are a parent looking for help for your child, these established organisations are a good place to start. School counsellors can also connect families to local services.

Our guide to how schools and community mental health services work together explains what schools can provide, what they cannot, and how referrals usually happen.

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis LifelineCall or text 988 in the United States and Canada, 24/7.
  • Kids Help Phone (Canada)Free, confidential support for young people: 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 45645.
  • SAMHSA National Helpline (US)Treatment referral and information: 1-800-662-4357.
  • National Child Traumatic Stress NetworkFamily-facing guides on child trauma and recovery.