November 2017 Division Meeting - Creating a Trauma Informed Campus
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Slides from the November 3 division meeting for the Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support
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November 2017 Division Meeting - Creating a Trauma Informed Campus
- 1. Creating A Trauma Informed Campus Division Meeting November 3, 2017
- 5. Practice Flu Prevention Flu shots are free for students No-cost* for faculty/staff Just walk in to the Center for Health and Well- Being! *Student Health Services will provide the flu vaccine for faculty and staff whose primary insurance is the BlueCross BlueShield state health plan for a $0 co-payment. Please bring your insurance card to get the vaccine at no cost to you. If you are not covered by the state health plan, you can get the flu vaccine for $20.sa.sc.edu/shs/flu
- 6. Move More Carolina The American Heart Association recommends 2½ hours of moderate physical activity per week. Physical Activity is anything that makes you move your body and burn calories. Being active can fit into any schedule and lifestyle! sa.sc.edu/shs/movemore
- 7. Become a USC Wellness Ambassador! Wellness Ambassadors are university faculty and staff members committed to health who serve as champions for employee wellness. Your role as a wellness ambassador includes: • Onboard training with wellness resources provided • At least one year of commitment • Dedicated time to serve in your role • Ability to partner with the Gamecocks LiveWell office to bring wellness events to your department • Be an active part of Gamecocks LiveWell programs and events • Positive attitude and willingness to learn • Being passionate about health and wellness Visit: sa.sc.edu/gamecockslw to sign up. For questions, email livewell@mailbox.sc.edu or call 803-777-6518.
- 8. Healthy Carolina Farmers Market Upcoming Dates: (Tuesdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Greene Street in front of the Russell House) Nov. 7 – Hunger and Homelessness Week
- 9. C.A.L.M. Oasis meditation space Open Practice – patrons can practice in the space silently or use ear buds to listen to guided meditations Open Learning – structured mindfulness and meditation offerings coordinated by trained facilitators Midday Meditation: Monday/Wednesday/Friday – 11:20-11:40 a.m. and Tuesday/Thursday – 12:30-12:50 p.m. Mindful U: Intro to Mindfulness: October 27, November 17 and November 27 – 10-10:30 a.m. Recovery Meditation: Every Thursday – 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- 10. Pet a Pup Come pet a pup, take a break from your stress and enjoy some time with these wonderful listeners! Upcoming Dates: (Center for Health and Well-Being Patio) November 14 December 5
- 11. Food Insecurity Needs Assessment • Please share this Food Insecurity Needs Assessment with your students http://bit.ly/USCNeeds
- 13. November PD Workshop Stress Management & Wellness with Marguerite O’Brien PLAN provides resources and professional development for supervisors/advisors to advance peer leader programs. Questions? Contact us at UofSC.PLAN@sc.edu or 7-9188 November 7th 11am-12pm Center for Health & Wellbeing • Room 217
- 14. 2018 MLK Social Justice Awards • Recognizing individuals who have exemplified the philosophies of Dr. King through random or ongoing acts of community service, social justice, and/or racial reconciliation • Visit the Office of Diversity & Inclusion website for more information
- 24. GEMS! Gamecocks who Excel at Magnificent Service Nominate a colleague in your department or across the Division 24
- 25. November GEMS Winners 25 • Colleen Kelly, Russell House • Don Mills, Campus Recreation • LaToya Atkinson, Undergraduate Admisisons • Mike Dial, University 101 Programs • Tecola Jones, Student Life • Tabitha Epperson, Student Life • Chelsea Scott, Campus Recreation • Kelsey Sopko, Campus Recreation • Tad Derrick, Fraternity and Sorority Life
- 26. Nominators Have a Chance to WIN!!! 26 When you nominate a colleague you will be entered in the monthly drawings and you have an opportunity to win a $25 gift card.
- 27. November Nominator Winner 27 Kristin Freestate, Undergraduate Admissions
- 28. Have an Announcement for the Division? 28 Let us know at sastayin@mailbox.sc.edu to get it featured in the weekly Stay Informed email! E-mail Pre-Division Meeting slides to Hayley Efland at efland@sc.edu.
- 29. December Division Meeting 29 Please complete the Division’s Family Feud survey for our Winter Celebration on Friday, December 8 https://uscpdteam.wufoo.com/forms/pd- team-family-feud-questions
- 30. Creating A Trauma Informed Campus Sarah E. Wright, Psy.D., CST Shannon K. Nix, M.S., LPC
- 31. Introductions • Who we are and what we do • Goals/objectives • Attendees will be able to: 1. Identify the neurobiological underpinnings of trauma 2. Understand and apply a new term for trauma 3. Describe and utilize helpful and supportive responses when working with affected people 4. Make appropriate referrals to the Trauma 101 workshop
- 32. Trauma 101 • 3 modules; 2 principles; 1 brain • Three Modules • What is this “trauma” thing? • Why is this so hard to talk about? • How do people get through this? • Two principles • Cortisoaked • Need to redefine normal
- 33. Before We Start • How to manage triggers or upsetting content • Our assumptions • People are here because they want to learn • Mistakes will happen and aren’t intended to be malicious • We want to answer your questions!
- 35. What is “Trauma”? Event Commonly considered “traumatic”
- 36. What is “Trauma”? • Significant post- trauma symptoms do not always follow exposure to a “traumatic event” • Significant post- trauma symptoms can follow exposure to a “life event” Response
- 37. Cortisoaked If the brain & body react in a certain identifiable way, that is trauma. “CORTISOAKED”
- 38. Cortisoaked Rather than an event, trauma is a neurobiological process that occurs as a result of an event or series of events.
- 39. Metaphor
- 40. Key Players • 3-Part Brain • Hippocampus • Amygdala • Cortisol & other hormones Oh no! Science words!!!
- 41. Key Players • Hippocampus • Memory & time • Amygdala • Fear • Prefrontal Cortex • Decision making • Cortisol • Stress hormones
- 42. The Cortisoaked Brain • Amygdala remains activated • Cortisol levels stay high • Hippocampus not functioning optimally • Memories are visceral • Lack accurate time stamp • “Thinking” brain not functioning optimally • Integration between parts of brain and between brain and body impaired
- 43. What Does ‘Cortisoaked’ Look Like? Arousal Thinking is difficult Overgeneralizations Triggers Impaired sense of self Strained relationships Increased physical symptoms
- 44. Trauma is a neurobiological thing
- 45. Barriers To Talking About Trauma Internal (within the Survivor) • No words • Self-blame • Guilt and shame • Learned responses to vulnerability
- 46. Barriers To Talking About Trauma External (friends, family, culture) • “Support” received is not supportive • Stigma • Taboo • College culture
- 47. Less Than Ideal Responses • Attempts to fix • “Don’t cry, it’ll be ok!” • “I promise this won’t happen to you again” • “At least…” • Touch without consent • Questioning validity • “Are you sure that’s what happened?” • Sharing personal trauma stories without consent • Self-blame/taking responsibility for the person’s trauma • Threatening assailant • “I'm going to kill him” • Victim blaming (usually unintentional) • “Did you tell the police? “ • “Were you drinking/wearing revealing clothing? “
- 48. Supportive Responses • Listen! (#1) • “I’m here”; “I’m listening” • Validate • Validation doesn’t have to mean ‘agreement’, it simply honors another’s reality • “I can’t imagine what it’s been like to…” • “It makes sense that…” • “You deserve to feel your feelings about…” • “Feeling [sad/angry/confused/lonely/etc.] is logical given everything that’s happened” • Language: avoid “YOU” as it can place blame/responsibility on the victim/survivor • (Have YOU told anyone vs. Who knows about this?) • Ask about current safety and support • “Are thoughts of suicide an issue?” • “Are there other people we can contact?”
- 49. Supportive Responses • Express appreciation for the trust they placed in you by sharing - it takes a lot for someone who has been assaulted/traumatized to come to you for help • “Thank you for trusting me with this” • Give permission to not share information they are not comfortable to give • Ask what they need but remember you’re not a therapist or the police • (provide support, when possible, with helping person find resources or go to hospital) • Get consent for touch • “Would you like a hug?” or “Let me know if you’d like a hug” • If you’ve been through something similar and are ok to share, get permission to disclose this and see if that would be helpful • “X happened to me, if you might want me to share sometime; I’m willing” • Resources to encourage- hospital, police, SAVIP, CAP or other counseling provider (STSM; Sistercare) • For responsible employees: “You’re describing sexual assault, but I recognize you may not define it that way. _______ is my obligation”
- 50. Coping Skills • Coping Skills- Techniques used to handle difficult situations, feelings or thoughts • Good for everyone, so this applies to all of us in the journey towards general wellness! • Can be behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or some combination of these • Broad categories • Working through • Avoidance • Plan • Hypothesize • Acknowledge and pause • Distract • Redefine • Tolerate
- 51. Coping Skills • Whether dealing with something personally or being a support to others, we all need to be able to cope! • Breathe! • Mindful Awareness- helps you know how you’re feeling/what you’re thinking and can help you identify triggers (triggers are your friend) • Grounding- Shades of color; Actor Alphabet Game; 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 game • Distress Tolerance- how do you find something that raises positive emotion NOW? • Emotion Regulation- opposite action • Exercise • Connection – Oxytocin can help
- 52. Summary • ‘Trauma’ is best understood as a neurobiological process in which the brain becomes soaked in cortisol (Cortisoaked) and functions differently • Both internal and external factors can make discussion of such events difficult • Coping skills are healthy for everyone! • Language matters • Use supportive responses intentionally • Practice with friends in less than loaded situations • Remember that we are here for you!
- 55. Stacey Bradley Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Academic Support 110 Osborne Building Columbia, SC 29208 Office: 803-777-4172 Fax: 803-777-9354 Email: sbradley@mailbox.sc.edu 55
- 56. Dr. Dennis A. Pruitt, Sr. Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice Provost and Dean of Students 110 Osborne Building Columbia, SC 29208 Office: 803-777-4172 Fax: 803-777-9354 Email: dpruitt@mailbox.sc.edu 56
- 57. 57 Next Division Meeting Friday, December 8th Winter Celebration!
Editor's Notes
- Poll Title: What questions do you have? https://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/UH0pYLVx4UXti9t
- Is “trauma” and event? Let’s explore what is meant by a “traumatic event.” A traumatic event is an experience that causes physical, emotional, psychological distress, or harm. It is an event that is perceived and experienced as a threat to one's safety or to the stability of one's world. An estimated 70 percent of adults in the United States have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lives and up to 20 percent of these people go on to develop post-trauma stress disorder, or PTSD. Estimated risk for developing PTSD for those who have experienced the following traumatic events: Rape (49 percent) Severe beating or physical assault (31.9 percent) Other sexual assault (23.7 percent) Serious accident or injury, for example, car or train accident (16.8 percent) Shooting or stabbing (15.4 percent) Sudden, unexpected death of family member or friend (14.3 percent) Child’s life-threatening illness (10.4 percent) Witness to killing or serious injury (7.3 percent) Natural disaster (3.8 percent)
- Since significant post-trauma symptoms do not always follow exposure to a “traumatic event,” and significant post-trauma symptoms can follow exposure to a “life event,” it makes more sense to focus on the trauma response rather than a specific event that we may or may not expect to be “traumatic.”
- New label for trauma response: cortisoaked
- A traumatic event is a single experience, or repeated/multiple experiences, that completely overwhelm the person’s ability to cope or integrate the ideas and emotions involved in that experience. The trauma response is what happens in the mind, brain, and body as a result of being overwhelmed in the face of a traumatic event.
- Don’t freak out! Some of you may know these science words better than we do. Others of you may be tuning out already in fear that we’ll use technical, confusing words that you’d rather not even try to figure out. Hang in there with us. We’re going to spend just a little time hitting the key players involved in the body’s response to stressful events, and we’ll try to do it in a way that is helpful and digestible.
- We want to focus on the hippocampus & the amygdala, which are parts of the brain, and cortisol (visual will appear upon click), which is a hormone that impacts the brain and body.
- So what happens in the brain and body when it is “cortisoaked,” experiencing an event that overwhelms it’s ability to cope and return to homeostasis? The amygdala (fear center) remains activated—like a smoke detector continuing to make noise Cortisol levels (the “on” switch) remain high The hippocampus is not functioning normally; it is encoding memories more viscerally (in the body) as opposed to in a cohesive narrative with a beginning, middle, and end The “thinking” part of the brain is not functioning well The various parts of the brain are not communicating well together, struggling to make sense of what it is experiencing The brain and body and not well integrated, impacting many physiological functions Everybody has a threshold – no one is immune to having a trauma response. Additional notes if useful: -Adrenaline is one of the hormones that are critical to help us fight back or flee in the face of danger. Increased adrenaline=dramatic rise in blood pressure and heart rate. Under normal conditions people react to a threat with a temporary increase in their stress hormones. As soon as the threat is over, the hormones dissipate and the body returns to normal. The stress hormones of traumatized people, in contrast, take much longer to return to baseline and spike quickly and disproportionately in response to mildly stressful stimuli. The insidious effects of constantly elevated stress hormones include memory and attention problems, irritability, and sleep disorders. They also contribute to many long-term health issues, depending on which body system is most vulnerable in a particular individual. (p 46) -After trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system. The survivor’s energy now becomes focused on suppressing inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their life (p 53). -If for some reasons the normal response is blocked–for example, when people are held down, trapped, or otherwise prevented from taking effective action, be it in a war zone, a car accident, domestic violence, or a rape– the brain keeps secreting stress chemicals, and the brain’s electrical circuits continue to fire in vain. Long after the actual event has passed, the brain may keep sending signals to the body to escape a threat that no longer exists. Since at least 1889, when the French psychologist Pierre Janet published the first scientific account of traumatic stress, it has been recognized that trauma survivors are prone to “continue the action, or rather the (futile) attempt at action, which began when the thing happened.” Being able to move and do something to protect oneself is a critical factor in determining whether or not a horrible experience will leave long-lasting scars. -Broca’s area goes off line—cannot put thoughts or feelings into words; all trauma is pre-verbal (van der Kolk, p 43) -“Even years later traumatized people often have enormous difficulty telling other people what has happened to them. Their bodies re-experience terror, rage, and helplessness, as well as the impulse to fight or flee, but these feelings are almost impossible to articulate. Trauma by nature drives us to the edge of comprehension, cutting us off from language based on common experience or an imaginable past.” (p 43) Come up with “cover story” -Nightmares & flashbacks: Brodmann’s area 19 lights up. Region of visual cortex that registers images when they first enter the brain. Under ordinary conditions, raw images registered here are rapidly diffused to other brain areas that interpret the meaning of what has been seen. But these areas still light up years after original traumatic experience. (p 44) -Images of past trauma activate the right hemisphere and deactivate the left (p 44) -No matter how much insight and understanding we develop, the rational brain is basically impotent to talk the emotional brain out of its own reality (p 47)
- The traumatized person can struggle with their sense of self and identity. The feel “different” from before, in a way that is difficult to explain or understand. There’s a sense of being less in control of their thoughts, feelings, and sensations. They can struggle to label their feelings accurately, which is necessary for healthy emotional functioning. They often feel a sense of disconnection from their feelings and sensations, which creates a feeling of disconnection from themselves. In the case of physical or sexual abuse, traumatized people can also feel as though they are “damaged goods,” and live with a sense of identity-damaging shame.
- A person with a traumatized brain is not crazy, weak, or lazy. They are cortisoaked. Their brain and body have been physiologically changed as a result of the trauma response.
- INTERNAL The language processing areas of the brain are impaired, often to the point of being offline, during a traumatic event. The trauma is experienced in images and sensations, out of sync and out of time. There are literally no words. Finding words to describe a non-verbal experience can be nearly impossible. Even when survivors find words to try to explain it, they often feel insufficient. Self-blame is common in the aftermath of a trauma. Blaming oneself is a way to preserve a sense of agency or control in the aftermath of a traumatic event that shattered those concepts. The feeling of mastery that self-blame attempts to secure helps reduce the anxiety that a trauma will re-occur, even as it makes the survivor more vulnerable to a maladaptive adjustment. “Why talk to others or seek support if it was my fault?” While self-blame may provide some semblance of control and agency for the survivor, it also inevitably leads to guilt (feeling badly about what one did) and shame (feeling badly about who one is). Guilt is an extremely unpleasant emotion to feel, and most of us find it difficult to let ourselves feel and express it. Shame, however, is close to unbearable and our psyches work overtime to try to defend against experiencing it (denial, avoidance, substance use, projection, etc.). Sharing the traumatic experience would likely stir up these distressing feelings. The way our caregivers responded to our distress and vulnerability in childhood creates a template for how we manage later in life. Many of us learned, in one way or another, to avoid being vulnerable (“stop crying!” “get over it!”). EXTERNAL Frequently, despite even their best intentions, those trying to provide support to survivors are not supportive in the way the survivor needs. Empathy: While the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes is essential for healthy relationships and connections with others, it can make listening to other’s trauma stories very difficult. Feeling other people’s painful feelings is hard. Triggers: Hearing another’s trauma story can trigger one’s own trauma history, even if that history is not fully conscious. The discomfort of empathizing with painful feelings and/or having one’s own trauma triggered can result in a less-than-supportive response unintentionally designed to make the listener’s distress go away. Less-than-supportive responses: Negative Disbelieve, deny, ignore, minimize, disconnect Dismissive Believe, minimize, limit support, connect on some things and disconnect from trauma: “At least…” Stigma, Taboo, and College culture on subsequent slides
- INTERNAL The language processing areas of the brain are impaired, often to the point of being offline, during a traumatic event. The trauma is experienced in images and sensations, out of sync and out of time. There are literally no words. Finding words to describe a non-verbal experience can be nearly impossible. Even when survivors find words to try to explain it, they often feel insufficient. Self-blame is common in the aftermath of a trauma. Blaming oneself is a way to preserve a sense of agency or control in the aftermath of a traumatic event that shattered those concepts. The feeling of mastery that self-blame attempts to secure helps reduce the anxiety that a trauma will re-occur, even as it makes the survivor more vulnerable to a maladaptive adjustment. “Why talk to others or seek support if it was my fault?” While self-blame may provide some semblance of control and agency for the survivor, it also inevitably leads to guilt (feeling badly about what one did) and shame (feeling badly about who one is). Guilt is an extremely unpleasant emotion to feel, and most of us find it difficult to let ourselves feel and express it. Shame, however, is close to unbearable and our psyches work overtime to try to defend against experiencing it (denial, avoidance, substance use, projection, etc.). Sharing the traumatic experience would likely stir up these distressing feelings. The way our caregivers responded to our distress and vulnerability in childhood creates a template for how we manage later in life. Many of us learned, in one way or another, to avoid being vulnerable (“stop crying!” “get over it!”). EXTERNAL Frequently, despite even their best intentions, those trying to provide support to survivors are not supportive in the way the survivor needs. Empathy: While the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes is essential for healthy relationships and connections with others, it can make listening to other’s trauma stories very difficult. Feeling other people’s painful feelings is hard. Triggers: Hearing another’s trauma story can trigger one’s own trauma history, even if that history is not fully conscious. The discomfort of empathizing with painful feelings and/or having one’s own trauma triggered can result in a less-than-supportive response unintentionally designed to make the listener’s distress go away. Less-than-supportive responses: Negative Disbelieve, deny, ignore, minimize, disconnect Dismissive Believe, minimize, limit support, connect on some things and disconnect from trauma: “At least…” Stigma Socially unacceptable to be vulnerable, a “victim.” Particularly a victim of sexual assault. Rape culture perpetuates victim-blaming How many tattooed? Some may use as a defense against the idea that this can happen to anyone “This happened to her because ________, but I would never do _________, so I’m safe” Rape culture Shame, silence and secrecy Taboo Taboo of struggle Individualistic culture Taboo of sex Puritan roots Pleasure rarely in sex education Role and influence of gender stereotypes Fear breeds avoidance - circular “What if I’ve done this to someone?” “What if what happened that night really was sexual assault?” “If I listen, I may realize that it could happen to me, too” That’s too much, so I won’t think about it College culture Party scene Fraternities, sororities, other parties presented as fun, raucous, lots of drinking, lots of sex. Expectations are that this is fun, but when one experiences a traumatic event during a party, it creates a conflict between what was supposed to be “fun” and what turned out to be traumatic—shock, guilt, embarrassment, self-blame. Illusion of safety Explicit and implicit indications that campus is like a home/family and that one is “safe”
- Elicit responses to see what people say (“what are some responses that you think survivors get when they tell others about their trauma?”)- careful on shaming participants Role play Original role play in more helpful way
- Elicit conversation about ways to cope – don’t always have to be healthy
- Poll Title: What questions do you have? https://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/UH0pYLVx4UXti9t