Trauma Awareness: an event for Wesleyan students who are involved in community service that works with young people through tutoring or mentoring

Working with children and youth can be delightful, but it can also be confusing. Why do children do the things they do? How we respond to children often depends on our intuitions about why they are behaving a certain way. Children who have experienced trauma sometimes exhibit a variety of behaviors that can be frustrating or puzzling to the adults around them. In this workshop, we will learn about why that happens, and we will develop our awareness that trauma sometimes lies beneath the behaviors. Even if we don’t always know specific children’s trauma, a trauma-aware framework can help us respond more effectively to all children by looking at the root causes, not just surface features, of their behaviors. Using a trauma-aware lens, we will identify concrete ways to improve our relationships, empathy, and effectiveness when working with children.

Wesleyan students are invited to a training led by Anna Shusterman, Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Chair, College of Education Studies. 

Space is limited so please RSVP by Wednesday, November 10th: https://forms.gle/oXjyquBu5HnzE8gi7

Monday, November 15th, 11:45 am 1:15 pm
Allbritton 311, Lunch will be served
Open to all Wesleyan students who work with young people