Relational and Developmental Trauma and Schools

Abstract

The use of the term trauma has become widespread in the discourse on mental well-being, mental health, and mental illness. Authors employ a proliferation of terms, such as complex trauma, emotional trauma, historical trauma, and community trauma, including racism and other institutionalized discrimination, interpersonal trauma, and relational and developmental trauma. Other bodies of knowledge, such as the literature about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), neurobiological understanding of human development, and attachment theory, all interrelate. Exposure to ACEs may increase the risk of trauma responses occurring in individuals, but individual resilience factors can mitigate the long-term mental health impact of such exposure. A felt sense of safety/security developed through early caring relationships underpins personal resilience. Equally disharmonious and neglectful early relationships set an early foundation for vulnerability to the traumatizing impact of ACEs. Thus, in considering the needs of children and young people in the school context, the terms relational trauma and developmental trauma seem the most appropriate to foreground within this review of the literature, as without addressing this form of trauma children will find it difficult to access both general well-being support and/or academic learning opportunities. However, having a broad understanding of the interrelated terms supports the critical evaluation of the appropriateness of various interventions for particular populations within the education system. While some approaches aimed at addressing the roots and impacts of developmental and interpersonal trauma may be suitable for the school setting delivered by skilled educationalists, others are more suited to a clinical setting delivered by counselors, psychotherapists, or other mental health practitioners or by counselors/psychotherapists in the school setting.