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The Emotional Backpack Program The Center for School Behavioral Health's mission is to improve the prevention, early identification, intervention, and treatment of behavioral health issues among youths. Their Emotional Backpack Program includes a series of trainings on a variety of topics including children's mental health, youth suicide prevention, and self-care for educators. The goal of the program is to practice empathy and cultural responsiveness, recognize implicit bias and promote equity, and resist re-traumatization. According to the training curriculum, becoming trauma- informed achieves three goals: reducing the school-to- prison pipeline for students of color, reducing mental health stigma, and contributing to feelings of belonging and community among students and faculty. Recognizing and working to close gaps in discipline and achievement helps redirect the school-to-prison pipeline and recognize and validate existing student needs. District-level administrators should first review current policies and practices, revise codes of conduct to be equity-driven, and continuously conduct equity audits on racial inequality. Because trauma and other mental health issues are stigmatized, community education is an important component of support for students. Schools are encouraged to offer opportunities for families, students, and communities to receive culturally- responsive education about signs of behavioral health concerns in students. Providing mental health education in a school setting not only helps break down the taboo but also allows students to see staff as an extension of support. Education should also include providing the community with access to support groups, behavioral health services, and other resources. According to Dr. Freeny, cultivating healing and wellness helps promote not only student engagement, but teacher efficacy as well. While the center prioritizes student well- being, it also recognizes the need for staff care, especially administrators who are BIPOC. Recruiting and retaining BIPOC educators, as well as prioritizing their teacher preparation, autonomy, and equal pay, is recommended to make staff feel valued and perform their best. "You want everyone on that campus to feel that they belong. Not that they have to change to fit in, but that they belong as who they are without any modifications," Dr. Freeny said. She also recommends providing ongoing validation and recognition, promoting self-care in teachers, and building positive interconnected relationships among teachers and staff. Trauma-Informed Support for Children Becoming trauma-informed and truly equitable requires building and nurturing an environment where students feel comfortable and safe, especially in terms of seeking help. "If you're struggling, let's make sure we know it so we can give you the power and strategies to express it, get help, cope, have resilience, and be seen and supported," he said. Other recommendations for trauma-informed child support, both immediate and long term, include: ● Create safety: Assess the child's current situation and behaviors and give them a relaxing, private space to compose themselves. ● Regulate the nervous system: Stress causes responses like hyperarousal (jittery, irritable) or hypoarousal (depressed, withdrawn). Work with the child to determine what they need in this moment. ●Build relationships: Being around people who care about us produces oxytocin, the hormone that calms the nervous system. Nurturing staff- student relationships over time helps ease everyone in times of stress. ●Support development of a coherent narrative: Children, especially those experiencing trauma, often feel overwhelmed or out of control. Create predictability through structure, routines, and reliable adults to reduce chaos they may feel. Trauma brings a sense of loss of power or control. When children feel someone is exerting power over them, especially authority figures such as school staff, severe feelings of shame from the original trauma can come flooding back. Adults working with children need a power-with approach, rather than power-over, to determine what each child needs. Children need to be shown that they are worthy of being treated with dignity and respect, even by adults and authority figures. In times of crisis, Dr. McCoy recommends identifying children's needs using HALT – are they hungry, angry, lonely, or tired? "Suicide, anxiety, and depression often deal with loneliness," he said. "Sometimes, you can be around a million people and still feel lonely. You can be in a classroom and feel like, 'Nobody sees me for the real me, I want to be seen!' We have to say, I see you." Dr. McCoy's approach to becoming trauma-informed focuses on the empowerment he finds comes with shifting from a "ME" to "WE" perspective. According to Dr. McCoy, collaboratively learning how to care for each other and navigate relationships post-trauma helps build social and emotional resiliency skills. Fostering growth in these skills helps improve problem solving, planning, maintaining focus, and feeling comfortable seeking support. View a recording of the webinar and download the PowerPoint presentation here: http://www.nasmhpd.org/cont ent/ta-coalition-webinar- trauma-informed-practices- schools-understanding-racial- trauma-and. "It's important for us to understand, especially as leaders of schools and districts, that mental health does matter and plays a huge role in the outcome of students within the district." Jamie Freeny, DrPH, MPH PAGE 08 August Issue 2021 (© Bernardbodo - stock.adobe.com)

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