Safety Alert: Trauma and the Pandemic

As we surpass a year of the pandemic, many people have experienced financial instability, deaths of loved ones, illness, and a disconnect from family and friends. Adolescents are no exception to stressors caused by the pandemic. A new study found that youth could be the most susceptible to long-term trauma as a result of the pandemic. According to the study, a person who experiences dysfunction in early adolescence is 43% more likely to experience problems in adulthood than someone who has not. “That means, developmentally, that middle and early high school students during the pandemic could be experiencing family disruption just as they need to be secure enough to become more independent, and social isolation at the most important time to develop a social identity. Remote learning and counseling environments also can make it more difficult for adults to recognize students’ emotions and tell the difference between boredom and disconnection because of trauma.” Sarah Sparks for EducationWeek Read more from the study here. The Association for Middle Level Education suggests that educators can help students reframe their stress by reflecting on how their families have overcome challenges during the pandemic. The group also suggested educators “focus their classes on common goals and connections, and help students recognize growing competency, such as becoming more adept at navigating remote learning platforms or organizing their work spaces.”

How Vector Solutions Can Help

Online Training Our Exceptional Child Course Library features a number of courses specifically designed to support educators in implementing trauma-informed practices, including:

• Trauma Awareness
• Trauma-Informed Practices
• Secondary Trauma Awareness

Other Staff Training courses include:

• Bullying: Recognition & Response
• Coronavirus: Managing Stress and Anxiety
• Cyberbullying
• Making Schools Safe & Inclusive for LGBTQ Students
• Making Schools Safe & Inclusive for Transgender Students
• Stress Management
• Student Mental Health: Awareness, Intervention and Referral
• Youth Suicide: Awareness, Prevention & Postvention

Student Courses

• Bullying & Cyberbullying
• Depression Awareness
• Digital Citizenship
• Good Decision Making
• Healthy Relationships
• Resolving Disagreements
• Stress & Anxiety
• Youth Suicide Risk

Other Resources We have also published numerous blogs and hosted a handful webinars on trauma-related topics:

1. Addressing the Student Mental Health Emergency in the Wake of COVID-19
2. Examining the Youth Suicide Crisis
3. How Schools Can Increase Mental Health Support to Students
4. New Courses Support Social Emotional Learning as Student Return to School
5. Recognizing Trauma and Strategies to Help Educators
6. Safety Alert: Student Mental Health & Wellness
7. Student Mental Health a Growing Concern Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
8. Webinar: Strategies to Address Emotional and Physical Needs for the Return to School
9. Webinar: Trauma Informed Practices and Strategies for School Staff
10. Webinar: Youth Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention in Schools

To learn more about our Staff or Student Training, request a demo online.