Strategies for Teaching and Advising During Traumatic Events

Most readers of this blog post will already know that the events of the previous two years have caused massive amounts of collective and individual trauma. The collective trauma of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of police, the siege of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and, most recently, the invasion of Ukraine, has taken a toll.

This holds true for members of the higher-education community—students, staff, and faculty alike. For many instructors, who may have been hoping that the decline of the Omicron variant would signal a return to pre-pandemic classroom learning environments, the burnout and frustration of teaching during such difficult times has never been more prominent. But it is still important to consider that many students are experiencing ongoing trauma, and effective teaching and advising will acknowledge and address this.

Why Use Trauma-Informed Teaching and Advising?

Teaching and advising during traumatic events require a particular set of strategies and skills. Instructors may be familiar with the phrase “trauma-informed pedagogy” but feel unsure how to implement this pedagogy in the classroom. The strategies outlined below can help to make trauma-informed pedagogy more accessible for those who teach and advise both undergraduate and graduate students.

While it may feel daunting to try to integrate a new way of teaching, it is important to remember that students cannot learn if they do not feel safe. Some data show that approximately one-third of graduate students experience symptoms consistent with a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. For teaching and advising to be effective, all students, including those experiencing trauma, should be prepared to learn. Satisfying basic needs must come before any type of complex learning and development. Integrating trauma-informed practices into teaching and advising can promote learning because it helps students to reach a place—mentally, emotionally, and physically—where they are able to learn.

Any Student Can Experience Trauma

Reading this, one might wonder how they can identify students experiencing trauma or re-traumatizing experiences. Using the invasion of Ukraine as an example, this event has the potential to trigger trauma responses in a wide variety of students. Students who are refugees or whose family members are refugees may experience personal and generational trauma as the media is flooded with the stories of refugees from Ukraine. Black students, and in fact any student of color, might experience trauma as they read about African students in Ukraine experiencing racism and being denied entry into bordering countries as they flee the conflict. These are two examples, but there are many ways that a single event can trigger a trauma response. Recognizing that any student might be struggling is the first step in providing support. Also remember that, while Ukraine is a major source of media attention at the moment, there are other events, public or not, that may trigger traumatic responses in students.

How to Get Started With Trauma-Informed Teaching and Advising

1. Begin class or advising meetings by acknowledging ongoing traumatic events and ask students how they are feeling. Make it clear that students can share their feelings in a supportive environment and that their mental and emotional well-being matters.
2. Share campus and community resources with students. This should not be an afterthought. Chances are, your institution already has a comprehensive list of resources to support student mental health and well-being. Share this list with students and encourage them to connect with resources that resonate with them. It might be helpful to share a time when you reached out for help.
3. Ask students to participate in a breathing exercise with you. Even a one-minute breathing exercise can help calm nervous systems by slowing heart rates, halting shallow breathing, and reducing anxiety. If you are new to breathing exercises, many are available on YouTube. I suggest this simple, one-minute triangle breathing exercise. I have used this with students in a variety of classroom, coaching, and advising spaces with much success.
4. Be honest with your students. Perhaps you are also feeling the emotional toll of ongoing world events, including the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine. Normalize having an emotional response to world events and share that you, too, feel affected. Many people struggle with mental health issues in silence because of the stigma around asking for help. Talking openly about mental and emotional health can help combat stigma, particularly when faculty advisors and instructors do so.
5. Be flexible. If students approach you for an extension or ask for an accommodation or perhaps for an alternative assignment, consider saying yes. The principles of Universal Design for Learning are widely acknowledged as exemplary teaching practice, and they include being flexible in various ways. Remember, students experiencing trauma are not emotionally prepared to learn, so requiring assignments by a hard deadline or in a very particular format may not accurately measure student learning.

Students Must Feel Psychologically Safe to Learn

The world is a busy place. Faculty often feel pressed for time in classrooms and in advising meetings. It is important to make sure students learn course content and have all the information they need to matriculate. Yet, neither of those things will happen if students’ emotional needs are not met. Feeling psychological safety in the classroom and in advising situations helps prepare students to learn. Integrating these simple strategies adapted from trauma-informed pedagogy can help make that happen.