ABSTRACT
Trauma is any experience that leaves a person under the feeling of hopelessness, helplessness, fear for their life / survival or for their safety. This experience can be real or perceived, since the trauma does not reside in the event itself, but in the nervous system of a person (Peter Levine). Fortunately, the exploration of procedures
aimed at facilitating individual recovery obtains appreciable results. Perhaps the perspective and practical derivations in social psychology applied to educational contexts and in social and community intervention are less known.
Experiences such as migration in search of refuge, war and domestic violence constitute potential traumatic experiences. And the traumatized person may exhibit defensive behaviors such as withdrawal, isolation, altered eating and sleeping, anger or depression. But the trauma designation brings a compelling new perspective that can be liberating and motivating. Trauma is something that has been experienced by a person, not something that defines the person, which changes the question from “What is wrong with you?” to “What has happened to you?” (Bath and Seita, 2018)
This conference explains a trauma-based approach, which draws attention to changes in action and sensitivity in our profesional work as social interveners. What allows us to detect post-traumatic reactions and what can we do about these signals? Ho can we adapt the context to instill security and trust in people who have suffered traumatic experiences? What psychosocial measures are appropiate to avoid retraumatization? This conference will answer these questions.
About the speaker
Brock W. Morlan (Master of Education) is the co-founder and co-president, along with Lisa Clark, of the National Organization for Treating Trauma, LLC, providing training for schools and organizations across the United States regarding trauma informed practices and school climate and culture.
www.treatingtrauma.org