Promoting Youth Mental Health Through Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Educational Initiatives in Schools.

Abstract

The youth mental health crisis is reaching epidemic proportions, stemming from both single and complex traumatic experiences. Because children and adolescents spend a considerable amount of time in schools, educational settings present both opportunities for and threats to youth mental health. This article outlines how the principles of equity-centered trauma-informed education can be applied in educational environments to enhance the mental health of students. The authors discuss policy recommendations aimed at prioritizing predictability, flexibility, empowerment, connection, and unconditional positive regard. Effectively implementing these policies can help protect young people from structural sources of trauma in the educational system and ensure that schools do not become additional sources of trauma for youths in the United States.