Addressing the Impact of Trauma in High Poverty Elementary Schools

Abstract

A positioned-subject qualitative approach was used to uncover multiple perspectives held by elementary school counselors as to how they interpret their work with children affected by trauma in high-poverty schools. As such, school counselors' knowledge of the impact of ecological factors that led to childhood trauma was examined. Findings indicated that complex and systemic trauma were common themes that informed the schools counselors' ability to advocate effectively for mental health programs for children in high poverty schools. This qualitative study also introduces an ecological and social justice (ESJ) school-counseling model for school counseling in high poverty elementary schools that demonstrates how social justice-oriented school counselors seek to meet the needs of their students with mental illness who come from high poverty backgrounds.