Taking a trauma-informed lens supports music therapy educators and clinical supervisors in understanding and working with students’ learning needs as well as their classroom presence. In this presentation, music therapy professors draw upon research and their own areas of expertise to offer details on what having a trauma-informed approach in the classroom and clinic means, and why it is important to integrate the six trauma-informed principles. Balancing student needs with professional competencies can be a difficult task, especially with the rising rates of student anxiety. Educational standards are already rigorous, and educators and clinical supervisors support students to self-assess their own developmental, emotional, and educational paths. A trauma-informed approach to teaching and supervision enhances this process and helps students connect their learning journey to their development as a professional music therapist.
According to the World Health Organization (2017), prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 70% of the world population had experienced a traumatic life event. Trauma-informed educational practices bring a lens through which global educators can understand students’ learning needs, classroom presence, and clinical development. In this presentation, music therapy educators will review the six pillars of trauma-informed care, identify potential sources of trauma for music therapy students including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and offer details on what having a trauma-informed approach means for working with students. Teaching what a trauma-informed approach means is essential to having an ethical and realistic understanding of our profession, yet it can also lead to situations where students experience activation of past traumatic experiences.
In a university setting, standards are rigorous for studio teachers, professors in music education, and professors in music therapy. Balancing student needs against accreditation benchmarks is a difficult task. Yet for any age student, anywhere in the world, holding safety as the first concern when a student appears to be suffering the effects of a trauma is paramount. Recognizing when students are activated and not in their zone of resilience and helping them develop self-awareness and coping strategies is part of our educators and supervisory responsibility. We can help them find ways to use music for self-regulation and identifying sources of internal strength for themselves and clients; presenters will bring forward more paths for consideration.
The presenters will share their own past experiences applying a trauma-informed lens in undergraduate and graduate level courses and clinical training environments. With anxiety and depression rates rising amongst students in a post-Covid world, we find it is important to recognize that students’ emotional and behavioral challenges are often responses to trauma. When a student has been exposed to traumatic situations or has a history of trauma, memory challenges arise, sequencing abilities are affected, emotional responses are unpredictable, and learning new tasks become difficult. The intersection of trauma and its neurophysiological effects will also be addressed in the presentation.
Throughout the presentation, presenters will provide principles, theory, and examples of how to approach learning through a trauma informed lens. Presenters will facilitate dialogue amongst attendees and provide resources for reflection beyond our time together.
