[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”4048.9px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_margin=”|auto|-89px|auto||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″ text_font_size=”16px”]<\/p>\n
Guest post by <\/span>Calista Colbert, MA<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>LCMHC<\/span>, NCC<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0Caroline Engler, PhD<\/span>,<\/span> HSP-P [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n The classroom is a primary setting for connecting with community, engaging with the mind, and making meaning of the world and our place in it. As such,\u00a0classrooms\u00a0and those that\u00a0facilitate\u00a0them have the unique opportunity to significantly contribute to student wellbeing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Those engaging with systems of higher education regularly will not be surprised to learn that modern college students face significant daily challenges. In addition to the unique adverse experiences that each student carries with them to our campuses, they are collectively navigating increasing levels of stress, anxiety, grief, and financial strain. All this while continuing to feel the effects of a global pandemic and the instability wrought by the current sociopolitical climate\u00a0<\/span>(Abrams, 2022;\u00a0<\/span>Bistricean, C., & Shea, 2021;<\/span>\u00a0Robb, 2017;\u00a0<\/span>Swedo et al., 2024<\/span>).\u00a0<\/span>Research conducted by The Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) over the last decade\u00a0indicates\u00a0that university counseling centers (UCCs) in the United States have seen increasing numbers of students cite traumatic experiences as a primary driver for pursuing counseling services. In 2025, UCC clinicians\u00a0identified\u00a0trauma as the primary presenting concern for approximately 5% of students seeking treatment.\u00a020% of students said that trauma was a contributing factor to feelings of distress, even if not the main focus of treatment (Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2026).\u00a0<\/span>By comparison, WCU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)\u00a0data\u00a0indicates\u00a0that\u00a024% of our students present to CAPS\u00a0with\u00a0acute\u00a0or historic\u00a0trauma as a primary presenting concern.\u00a0<\/span>This data suggests that WCU students are seeking treatment for trauma at higher rates than the national average. We can hypothesize from there that many more of our students carry unreported trauma histories.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(2026)<\/span>, t<\/span>rauma<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is an event or circumstance that results in physical, emotional, or life-threatening harm<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Trauma often\u00a0<\/span><\/span>impa<\/span><\/span>cts<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>one\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-<\/span>being<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>causes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a sense of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>broken connection – within the relationship with the self, within relationships with others,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>within the spirit<\/span>. Trauma can be<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>caused by a variety of circumstances including:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trauma can also be caused and\/or augmented by systemic variables. When considering the intersection of racism, ableism, and sexism with the history of higher education,\u00a0it is clear\u00a0that academia\u00a0has (unfortunately) been a primary cause of broken connection\u00a0for\u00a0a variety of communities within the United States\u00a0(Wilder, 2014).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trauma activates the amygdala and causes survival instincts to disrupt nervous system functioning, diverting energy from cognitive centers (such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex) needed for critical thinking, problem-solving, organizing\u00a0new information, and memory\u00a0(Bremner, 2006; Pitman et al., 2012). When traumatic events occur, this process is designed to protect the brain and body against harm. However, when this activation\u00a0remains\u00a0constant, it can cause long-term impacts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If trauma is the impact of\u00a0broken\u00a0connection, trauma-informed care is\u00a0a framework for\u00a0restoring\u00a0connection. Trauma-informed care\u00a0upholds infusion of\u00a0principles of safety, trustworthiness, choice, empowerment, collaboration, and consideration of historical and gender contexts (SAMSHA, 2014).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2026\/07\/6-Principles-of-Trauma-Informed-Care–1024×683.jpg” alt=”Graphic entitled %22Six Principles of Trauma-informed Care%22: safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, empowerment, cultural, historical and gender texts. ” title_text=”6 Principles of Trauma Informed Care” _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Those that\u00a0implement a\u00a0trauma-informed care\u00a0framework\u00a0engage in anticipatory empathy, take universal precautions, and\u00a0advocate for\u00a0organizational culture change to reduce the possibility of\u00a0retraumatization.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Trauma compromises our ability to engage with others by replacing patterns of connection with patterns of protection.” (Dana, 2018, p. xviii) If the classroom is intended to be a place of connection – socially, mentally, emotionally, academically – then facilitators of these spaces must be responsive to the reality of trauma and its impacts. Research show that brain changes resulting from sustained traumatic experience can lead to decreases in retention of new information and reading comprehension (MHA, 2026). In other words, if students are arriving to class anticipating the need to protect themselves from physical, emotional, social, or psychological harm or retraumatization, they will be unable to engage effectively in the learning environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTrauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way\u00a0mind\u00a0and brain manage perceptions. It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think… Relationship and community\u00a0cause deactivation of survival responses and regulation of nervous system functioning\u00a0<\/span>(Canque-Kaplan, 2025).<\/span>\u00a0The relationship between faculty and student has the power to become a conduit for communal change, particularly when faculty are infusing their approach to the classroom with trauma-informed care principles.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Like\u00a0so many others,\u00a0we\u00a0have been significantly shaped by\u00a0our\u00a0professors and instructors.\u00a0We hold dear the\u00a0educators in our lives who saw us as human first, student second, and invited us to co-create classroom environments where our experiences\u00a0did not define us as people. Now, as\u00a0licensed mental health clinicians\u00a0working within a university counseling center setting,\u00a0we are\u00a0thrilled to hear student accounts of the support they receive from their professors – especially during trying times. When\u00a0we\u00a0consider the faculty that have greatly contributed to\u00a0our\u00a0personal and professional development and to the development of our WCU students,\u00a0we are\u00a0reminded of those\u00a0that aid in the creation of\u00a0contextually-driven\u00a0learning environments that promoted safety, trust, collaboration, choice, and community empowerment.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is trauma-informed care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_margin=”||2px|||”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”12px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” min_height=”782.2px” sticky_enabled=”0″ custom_padding=”||0px|||” custom_margin=”||3px|||”]<\/p>\n
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSo, what is trauma<\/span>?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n
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How does trauma\u00a0impact\u00a0learners?<\/h2>\n
What is trauma-informed care?<\/h2>\n
Why does this matter\u00a0for\u00a0the classroom?<\/h2>\n
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For real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.\u201d\u00a0(Van der Kolk,\u00a02014, p. 21)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nConnect with the contents of this blog post or want to learn more?<\/h1>\n
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Highlighted\u00a0Resources for Continued Learning<\/h1>\n
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Additional References<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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