Trauma

What is Trauma?

Trauma Can Have Long-Term Effects

According to the website of the charity ‘Mind’, experiencing trauma can have the following impact on mental health, either immediately or in later years.

• Panic attacksThe body produces an exaggerated fear response, even when there’s no immediate threat
• FlashbacksReliving events from the past as if they were happening in the present
• DissociationA feeling of numbness, being detached from your body or ‘spaced out’
• HyperarousalFeeling constantly ‘on edge’ and unable to relax
• Sleep problemsHaving difficulty falling asleep or experiencing nightmares
• Low self-esteemOften feeling worthless
• Self-harmHurting yourself as a way of managing difficult feelings
• Suicidal thoughtsDwelling on ways of ending your life
• Alcohol and substance misuseTurning to drink and drugs as a way of blotting out painful feelings and memories

Trauma In Schools

Children who have experienced trauma can find the school environment overwhelming at times, and their needs may become more pronounced, especially in settings that are not trauma-informed. In some situations, a more flexible approach to education, such as home-based learning with supportive, trauma-aware tutors, can help children feel safer and more able to engage.

At SENsational Tutors, we offer a range of tailored tutoring options designed with an understanding of trauma and its impact on learning and development. We take a compassionate, individualised approach to support each child’s unique strengths and needs. Please feel free to get in touch to explore how we might be able to support you and your child.

Trauma Can affect the Developing Nervous System

When a young person experiences trauma, it can cause changes in their developing brain making them potentially more vulnerable to developing emotional problems as they grow up says The UK Trauma Council, an organisation that offers advice to professionals and policy-makers in the UK on how to help traumatised children to thrive.

This might mean, they say, for example, that a child is more intense or emotionally-reactive than their peers, withdraws socially or finds it difficult to concentrate. They may also find it difficult to maintain positive relationships and have a reduced capacity for motivation and pleasure. Executive function – the ability to organise and make plans – may also be impaired along with the ability to recall everyday events.

How Can a Tutor Support a Traumatised Student?

In addition to working with kids with all kinds of special needs, tutor Sarah is also a qualified ‘trauma-informed educator’ who supports children who have experienced some of the worst scenarios life can offer.

It’s a reasonably new field, she says, but one which has great potential in helping vulnerable people to make successes of their lives. “Working with trauma, the baseline is safety,” she emphasises. “You have to ensure that the young person feels completely secure with you and build up trust. That can take weeks with some children.”

Creating a Nurturing Environment

To aid this process, Sarah has turned her small classroom at her school into a homely, comforting environment with soft lighting and photos on the walls and offers children a cup of tea and a piece of toast when they arrive. “It’s about taking care of their basic needs and grounding them before we do any work – it works wonders!”

It’s also important, she maintains, to provide strict guidelines on how students are expected to behave with her. “Attachment can be part of the children’s problems and they often want to be your best friend,” she explains. “It’s hard but you’re not their friend or their mum and you need to maintain professional boundaries.”

Supporting Traumatised Children is Rewarding

Other young people, Sarah adds, are very resistant to help at first. “I’ve had numerous kids tell me to ‘f*** off’ but you can never take it personally,” she laughs. “I just keep turning up and follow through on what I say I’m going to do. Eventually, we get to a point where the child will sit down next to me.

“These children have often been through terrible things such as neglect or abuse – I’ve even worked with kids who’ve witnessed murder,” she concludes. “When you’re a new tutor, this can feel like a big responsibility but you have to learn to step back from the problems and care for yourself or you’ll burn out. But working with trauma is very rewarding. Just seeing a child smile is like ‘painting a rainbow’, as they say!”

Useful contacts

• Mind
  Mind is a UK charity that provides advice, support, and services to help people experiencing mental health problems. Visit them here.
• The UK Trauma Council
  The UK Trauma Council provides guidance, training, and resources to help professionals understand and respond to childhood trauma. Contact them here.