Collective Trauma and Collective Healing: Supporting Students and Ourselves

We are currently in the midst of a global pandemic and times of civil unrest, violence and collective trauma.  It is an overwhelming time for everyone, and the students we work with are looking for us to hold space, process and hold hope.  How do we take care of ourselves and our communities right now?

This will be a process-oriented, experiential and reflective workshop.  There will be time for self-reflection, small group processing and large group processing.  The facilitator will provide some framework and ideas, and knowledge and ideas will be drawn from the collective experiences of the group.

In this interactive training participants will:

  • Learn how trauma affects the bodies and the brains of our students
  • Review a framework where the symptoms and behaviors observed in students are recognized as adaptations to the trauma
  • Identify the ways racism, oppression, and social injustice traumatize students (and educators)
  • Discuss the traumatic impact of the pandemic on students.
  • Examine how the power of relationships can relieve suffering and stimulate new growth and healing
  • Reflect on what has been happening in our bodies, selves, communities, and society
  • Create a container to hold all of our feelings about the current times
  • Share ideas on how to take care of ourselves and our communities during these times