Building Resilience following Trauma Ferguson Florissant School District Gary U. Behrman, PhD, MSW, M.Div., LCSW Family Support Program Mgr CHADS Coalition
George Washington Carver How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.
OBJECTIVES: Recognize a bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach to resilience following a crisis Distinguish b/w stress & trauma Identify what it means to be resilient following a crisis Develop strategies to be resilient
RESILIENCE The ability of a person to withstand a significant amount of harm (change) in her/his life the capacity to exhibit resourcefulness by using available internal and external resources in response to different contextual and developmental changes
RESILIENCE CAPACITY RESOURCEFULNESS RESOURCES CONTEXT DEVELOPMENTAL All lead to CARING
Resilience as a Holistic Approach Biological: My physical health Psychological: My emotional health Social: My relationships Spiritual: My purpose & meaning in life
Following a Crisis We can have stressful & traumatic reactions Dependent upon the level of: Unexpectedness Life threat (bio/psycho/social/spiritual) Internal & External Resources Threat to our safety Permanent change (we are forever different)
RANGE of REACTIONS Change in body (bio) (pain, headaches, stomachaches, sleep & diet Change in emotions (psych) (anger, sadness, fear, anxious, etc.) Change in relationships (social) (withdrawal, aggression, clinging, comfort) Change in meaning of life (spiritual) (how has this changed me? what am I called to?)
TRAUMA SYMPTOMS Become easily upset, crying & anger outbursts; Revert to younger behavior such as bed wetting and thumb sucking; Misbehavior in school, home, and community; Have symptoms of illness: headaches, vomiting or fever; Loud, noisy & aggressive can change rapidly to shy & afraid; Develop nighttime fears: developing nightmares; Unreasonable fear the event will reoccur.
Stress management & TRIGGERS Stress management techniques involve relaxing the mind & body through activities Managing triggers involve debriefing the trigger and releasing the intensity
TRIGGERS When one of the five senses are triggered: We relive the event More than remembering Actually present to the trauma again Significant bodily reactions
Triggers accompany Trauma Biological: What cues does your body give that you are not in your zone? Psychological: What behaviors/events trigger uncomfortable emotions? Social: What relationships are creating conflict for you? Spiritual: What in your life today threatens your purpose & meaning?
Students who are triggered: Are reacting to a previous traumatic event Are NOT reacting to the present moment They are RELIVING the trauma They are NOT remembering it Do not take triggers personally A sense was triggered (sight, smell, sound, touch, taste)
Why distinguish between the two? Trauma: requires a different set of skills generally has accompanying triggers can linger for a long time can lead to self injury behaviors/substance abuse
How to de-escalate a trigger Speak firmly but gently Do NOT scream, this intensifies the trigger Keep eye contact at all times Bring the student back into the present Remind the student that he/she is safe here You are in control and nothing is going to harm them at this moment
STRATEGIES FOR RESILIENCE WHAT CAN I DO? For my Students? For my Family? For my Community? For my Self?
BIO-PSYCH-SOCIAL-SPIRITUAL How effective am I at managing CRISIS? Be present with what is happening in our community How does your body react when being present to this? What emotions surface? How is this event affecting your relationships? How is this impacting the meaning of your life?
Factors that contribute to resilience 1. Condition of your body (bio) 2. The span of your emotions (psych) 3. The quality of your relationships (social) 4. The meaning of your life (spiritual) Who or What needs to change? Could be one or all four
BIOLOGICAL MOVE! Studies have shown over & over again, health & resilience depend upon bodily movement How much movement do you get each day? Stretching? Exercise? Biking? Walking? Dancing? Climbing a tree? All it takes is owning a pair of tennis shoes
PSYCHOLOGICAL What is the 1st emotion you felt this morning? Do you time how long your emotions last? Don t strive to be happy, impossible! Strive to have a purpose in life!
SOCIAL How are my relationships? Who needs my attention? Who s on my mind? How do I create community? Where are the conflicts?
SPIRITUAL Strive for purpose & meaning in life What brings joy to my life? Why am I still here on this planet? What is most meaningful to me today?
Knowing the 4 C S What does resilience have to do with: CAPACITY? CONTEXT? CONNECTIONS? CARE?
Strengths-based Approach
Looking for Capacities Strengths-based definition: All people must be seen in light of their capacities, talents, competencies, possibilities, vision, values and hope, however dashed and distorted these may have become through circumstance, oppression or trauma (Saleebey, 1996)
Definition of Health The overall optimal functioning of an organism according to that organism s capacity at a particular moment in time
Strengths Based Approach Surface and optimize your strengths Define strengths to mobilize resources Frame possibilities versus problems Emphasizes empowerment and capacity building Identify religious/cultural/family strengths What s working for you today?
WISDOM the ability to understand life, common sense or judgment; or knowing what to overlook Name a person who you experience as wise What characteristics make him/her wise
4 C s Capacity Focusing & building on strengths in self, students, family & community Connections Framing partnering as collaborating among many sources of strength Context Don t assume anything Caring Creating US & We
Creating an US & WE Have students draw a circle Who belongs in his/her circle as an US? Who is outside of the circle? Why? What are the reasons that this group or individual is a THEM? What are the fears & disconnections? How do you practice the 4 C s w/ students?
Partnering in Care Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual approach: Eating well: fresh fruits and vegetables Engaging in regular physical movement Challenging tasks to help focus emotions Enhancing capacity to feel safe Building social & spiritual connections Other?
TAKE HOME MESSAGES
Remember: Healing after a crisis is complex one size does not fit all students & families Build relationships & resources! Ongoing strengths-based assessment Re-frame healing as a partnering opportunity to enhance health
REMEMBER Managing all the change and stress requires a Holistic Approach Pay attention to the students and your Body Emotions Relationships Spirit
Remember the 4 C s Capacity Context Connections Care Focus upon: Identifying your & others capacity Bio-psych-social-spiritual Supporting these capacities Knowing the student s context Practicing creating connections Learning how to care
REMEMBER To recognize when a student is being TRIGGERED & respond effectively not harshly See the students in their capacities Body, Emotions, Relationships, Spirit
Resources Manual for Managing Triggers http://park.org/guests/stream/trauma_manual.htm Trauma Experts in St. Louis http://www.therapytribe.com/therapists/missouri-mo/st- Louis/Trauma-and-PTSD Models for Treating Trauma http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/14228_chapter3.pdf Communities Healing Adolescent Depression & Suicide www.chadscoalition.org
Bishop Desmond Tutu Forgiveness Challenge http://forgivenesschallenge.com/
Thank you! For more information: Gary U. Behrman, PhD, LCSW www.chadscoalition.org gary@chadscoalition.org 314 952 8274