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EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT LOVING WINDOW OF TOLERANCE HandSUPPORTIVE in Hand PATIENCE REFLECTIVE LISTENER HEART EMPATHETIC WINDOW OF TOLERANCE CHOICE WINDOW OF TOLERANCE THOUGHTFUL TRUSTWORTHY COMPASSIONATE A MANUAL FOR CREATING TRAUMA INFOMRED LEADERSHIP COMMITTEES EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT EMPATHETIC HEART COLLABORATIVE PERSEVERANCE REGULATING COMPASSIONATE PERSEVERANCE EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT COLLABORATIVE HEART REGULATING REGULATING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TRUSTWORTHYVALIDATING NON VIOLENT LOVING SAFE CHOICE PERSEVERANCE EMPOWER SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY COLLABORATIVE HEART KIN REGULATING EMPATHETIC COMPASSIONATE CARING TRAUMA INFORMED VALIDATING LOVING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THOUGHTFUL COMPASSIONATE CHOICE RELATIONSHIP CALMING PERSEVERANCE LOVING REGULATING NON VIOLENT ART HEART GOALS CARING HEART CALMING REFLECTIVE LISTENER CHOICE KIND VALIDATING COMPASSIONATE LOVING GOALS EMPOWER REGULATING PERSEVERANCE CALMING EMPOWER RELATIONSHIP LOVING SAFE SAFE REASSURING CALMING TRAUMA INFORMED KIND GOALS VALIDATING NON VIOLENT GOALS Gerald L Cox Psy D Kimberly F Arnold M A Ed Theresa R Kummer B S Ed Deanne K McCullough Ed D Amanda E Settle M A Ed
Hand in Hand A MANUAL FOR CREATING TRAUMA INFOMRED LEADERSHIP COMMITTEES Gerald L Cox Psy D Kimberly F Arnold M A Ed Theresa R Kummer B S Ed Deanne K McCullough Ed D Amanda E Settle M A Ed
Hand in Hand A MANUAL FOR CREATING TRAUMA INFOMRED LEADERSHIP COMMITTEES Copyright Beyond Consequences Institute 2017 All rights reserved No portion of this manual may be reproduced distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher Published by Beyond Consequences Institute LLC www BeyondConsequences com ISBN 978 0 9978501 4 7 Cover Design Layout Mimi Emeline Emeline Design www emelinedesign com
Contents part one why do we need a committee Philosophy 1 Purpose 9 part two how can we build a committee Committee Composition 17 part three what does the committee meeting look like Meeting Structure 27 Creating Committee Cohesion 33 part four how do we train our school and the tlc School Wide Trainings 39 TLC Trainings 43 part five what does the tlc look like in action Fieldwork 51 Additional Ways to Support the School 61 part six how are students referred and tracked Referral Process 67 Data Collection 69 part seven how does the committee remain on target Maintaining and Sustaining 75 Obstacles 79 TLC Administrator Meetings 82
At the State Level in Missouri 87 appendix Student Ranking Form 91 Student Tracking Form 93 Needs Assessment Inventory 95 TLC Student of Concern Refferal Example 1 97 TLC Student of Concern Refferal Example 2 99 ETS E 101 ETS MH 107 Work Satisfaction Scale 113 Student Survey Results 115 Committee Building Activities 119 For the most up to date and electronic versions of the forms in the Appendix visit www HandinHandManual com resources Web Resources 135 Books 137 References 139 about the athors About the Authors 143
Foreword In my travels around the nation supporting schools and entire districts working to implement trauma informed platforms I constantly get asked We understand the need for change but how do we actually go about doing this What are the steps to follow This manual may be small and compact but it delivers powerful and poignant answers to these two questions It is a manual designed to shine light on the minute but important details involved in creating strong and effective leadership teams that need to be at the helm when implementing a trauma informed platform It was written from the ground up by educators and school personnel who have a deep love for children and their teachers What I love most about this manual is that the guidance and step by step procedures it explains were developed and created from reality They weren t created from reading research studies with theories hypotheses and conclusions or from hearing from educators second hand Professionals who actively work in schools with actual students in actual classrooms created this little gem The complex dynamics of human relationships that played out in the experiences of these authors is evident in the realistic and on target discussions and solutions given in this manual The benefit to you is that there will be less of a learning curve when you go to create the same in your school the lessons learned by these authors and the advice they share will help you avoid common pitfalls when implementing a trauma informed platform Their courage to break new ground and go beyond the traditional way of doing things in schools is woven into the words reflections and illustrations throughout this manual
The principles and concepts in this manual all work off the premise that children are resilient and that they have a natural love of learning The authors recognize that that love of learning can unfortunately be squelched from stressful life events but they also know from the depths of their knowing that never never does it disappear completely In this manual the authors show how you as an educator can help to empower your peers to be the relational healing agents for all the students in your school especially those exhibiting the most challenging behaviors The authors know that this is the key to helping children impacted by trauma rekindle their love of learning and reignite their internal motivational energy This manual hits the nail on the head in its premise that it is all about creating a culture within the school that values students emotional and socials needs at the same level of students academic needs Additionally this manual also makes it clear that putting into place an environment that not only helps children behave but helps them integrate their trauma is imperative Most implementation models address only the students but the wisdom of this authorship team expressively shows the importance of supporting teachers and school staff in their daily and many times difficult interactions with students It points out that one of the most effective yet underestimated solutions to working with students is helping supporting and empowering the adults who teach and interact with them I am certain this manual will prove to be a vital and important tool for anyone involved in our schools with a passion for moving towards a mindful loving and trauma informed approach However passion without direction doesn t always yield results This is the manual that will give you the direction to achieve the results you are ultimately seeking Heather T Forbes LCSW AU T H O R S P E A K E R A N D T R AUM A E X P E RT
PART ONE Why Do We Need a Committee
Philosophy S T U D E N T S M U S T H AV E T H E I R B A S I C N E E D S M E T A N D T R U S T I N THEIR ABILIT Y TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE T H E S A M E C A N B E S A I D F O R E D U C AT O R S T rauma informed pertains to the practices that educators put in place in a school practices which recognize the prevalence of trauma and adversity in a student population Its focus is to help students feel safe and stay emotionally regulated Trauma informed can also describe an organizational change process a process in which the prevalence of trauma and adversity in all members of the organization is recognized and an attempt is made to instill values within the organization so that members of the organization and everyone that comes into contact with the organization feel safe In a trauma informed school there is not only an understanding that students have to feel safe to learn but also that teachers have to feel safe to teach Implementing a trauma informed platform into an already existing school culture is no small task It takes a group of dedicated passionate and confident educators and staff members to be able to successfully lead such a movement Their synergy as a small group within a large organization has to be powerful enough to overcome barriers policies and resistance of that s not how we ve always done it It is within this group of leaders that a trauma informed movement can be created developed built and sustained for the well being of all students and staff within a school This group of leaders is essential in all components of creating a trauma informed platform and is the driving force for creating this manual This manual can either be a stand alone resource for schools or a supplemental resource to the The Trauma Informed School A Step by Step Implementation Guide for Administrators and School
2 WHY DO WE NEED A COMMITTEE Personnel by Jim Sporleder and Heather T Forbes LCSW In the Administrator s Guide this group was called the Leadership Team However as this model progressed and evolved it became evident that this term did not do justice to this essential team The Leadership Team has now been termed the TLC standing for Trauma Informed Leadership Committee This acronym more appropriately reflects the impact of this team and their love care and concern for children in our schools The foundational philosophy of the TLC is kids do well if they can and for that matter adults do well if they can too Lost at School Dr Ross Greene and students have to be emotionally regulated to be available for academic instruction This philosophy has arisen from two primary sources neurophysiological research and the seminal findings of the Adverse Childhood Experience ACE study First neurophysiological research has demonstrated that lagging cognitive skills rather than lagging motivation frequently underlie challenging student behaviors In particular emotional dysregulation and behavioral reactivity are at the root of many classroom behavior problems Second the ACE study and numerous subsequent studies have clearly documented the prevalence and impact of childhood adversity upon learning The repeated documentation of the shocking prevalence of interpersonal childhood adversity and toxic stress in our culture and their impact on both children s capacity to learn and educators ability to teach is why schools need to shift to a trauma informed platform The way to do this successfully is to have a TLC leading the way Formed from school leaders and staff in various positions throughout the school TLCs are intentionally designed to create a safe place for the exchange of ideas and group learning As the TLC develops cohesiveness and knowledge it can serve as a resource and a hub of support for other staff students who are struggling with a variety of social emotional and behavioral challenges students families
PHILOSOPHY 3 To this end staff members are recruited to the TLC with an understanding that training and interventions will not focus on trying to find ways to motivate students to behave but rather to help students staff and families feel safe and connected within the school community For a larger copy of The Truth About ACEs please visit rwjf org aces
PART TWO How Do We Build a Committee
COMMITTEE COMPOSITION 19 TLC COMPOSITION Core Group Members Possible Education Specialists Possible Health Professionals Possible Mental Health Professionals Possible Other Support Staff Core Group Members School counselor s School administrator s Regular education teachers Special education teachers Possible Education Specialists Educational diagnostician s Psychological examiner s Behavior specialist s Possible Mental Health Professionals School based social worker s School psychologists s Licensed professional counselor s Possible Other Support Staff Paraprofessional s Recess aide s Office clerk s Cafeteria worker s Bus driver s Custodian s Possible Health Professionals School nurse s Physical occupational therapist s Speech language pathologist s
20 HOW DO WE BUILD A COMMITTEE OUR TLC CORE GROUP MEMBERS School Administrator s School Counselor s Regular Education Teacher s Special Education Teacher s EDUCATION SPECIALISTS Educational Diagnostician s Psychological Examiner s
TRUE STORY 23 Our District TLC W R IT TEN BY A DISTR ICT A DMI N ISTR ATOR Our TLC started after several teachers had heard other buildings in the district were working with students with social emotional needs outside of a traditional pullout time in a resource room They were especially excited with the idea that students did not need to be identified with a special education eligibility to receive the extra support With a small group expressing the desire to form the TLC I was able to discuss adding a TLC with district level administration and was given approval The first task was determining the TLC members The concept of the TLC was discussed at our leadership meeting and then at a faculty meeting We decided that having at least one representative from each grade level was important although we recognized that having a large TLC would present challenges We quickly had volunteers from each grade level the fine arts team our counselor administrators and several special education teachers One of the first benefits we noticed was the increased feeling of community among the TLC members Most of our collaboration time within the building prior to forming a TLC involved horizontal teaming The TLC allowed a vertical approach and the fine arts teachers felt they were able to have better communication with teachers regarding students with lagging skills yet without an IEP or 504 Plan in place to help them know what strategies were needed Techniques were shared across grade levels and with brainstorming sessions in place these were easily adjusted to meet a variety of age levels As an administrator it was exciting to see the number of staff members on the TLC that already had the realization that the strategy was not the key to success but rather the relationship between the adult and student was the key The TLC members who took time to talk with students and include them on the
24 TRUE STORY problem solving process were able to share results with others All had the desire to help students be successful However some were determining interventions without student input Once stories were shared they quickly realized the value of including the student We still had some TLC members hesitant to have the collaborative problem solving conversations with the students Behavior Specialists were able to support TLC members through modeling conversations and we even started taping conversations to play at TLC meetings This allowed members the ability to hear conversations and how the conversation could be drilled down to get to the root of the problem before determining what might help Our school community became better informed in regards to helping students who were struggling with social emotional and behavioral skills TLC members collaborated more and student struggles were seen as lagging skills and not students trying to misbehave We started working with the teachers and support staff members on what we had learned to increase the building wide support needed for the work we were doing
PART THREE What Does the Committee Meeting Look Like
Meeting Structure C A R I N G C O M PA S S I O N AT E R E L AT I O N S H I P S M A K E ALL OF US FEEL SAFER E ach TLC should have the autonomy to decide the structure of its meetings including the frequency length and type of meeting as well as the meeting norms and procedures Typically TLCs meet weekly for about an hour but the frequency and length of meetings can vary based on staffing school needs and schedules TLCs conduct two types of meetings throughout the year whole group meetings and in the field meetings Whole group meetings are for training planning problem solving and organizing the committee s efforts In the field meetings are focused on the important work of meeting with struggling students and the staff who are supporting them Whole Group Meetings Teams tend to function the most efficiently when there are norms for meetings when meetings have a time framework and agenda and when members understand their roles Initial whole group meetings focus on defining the purpose of the team providing additional training in trauma informed interventions and improving the team members abilities to communicate and solve problems collaboratively with students QUICK LIST Additional training occurs in the first phase of most TLCs the details of which will be Protect time for fieldwork Assign roles provided in the next section of this manual Develop norms Until training is complete meetings are Prepare an agenda usually facilitated by the school adminis Meet regularly trator During each meeting time should be Be purposeful devoted to developing an agenda and plan Stay focused ning the time necessary to accomplish each
28 WHAT DOES THE COMMITTEE MEETING LOOK LIKE agenda item for the subsequent meeting The team will want to assign a facilitator timekeeper and notetaker for the meetings Rotating these roles can help all members feel involved and increase a sense of responsibility to the group Norms such as starting and ending on time committing to regular meeting attendance and staying on task during meetings can greatly increase productiveness and prevent conflict TIP TIDBIT Assign a time for each agenda item to help keep the meeting going Assign a committee member to take minutes of each meeting Refer to the Pacing Guide on page 46 47 for additional training schedule When bringing on new team members try to keep 2 3 veterans previous team members to be mentors TLCs should find a consistent day and time to meet Meetings are used for a wide variety of purposes including training team building identifying students who need assistance discussion of student progress utilizing the TLC Student Ranking system shared in the Data Collection section of this manual brainstorming supports scheduling collaboration meetings with teachers and students planning parent activities celebrating successes etc The purpose and agendas for meetings typically vary widely from one TLC to another and are often related to the TLC s longevity and phase of development In the Field Meetings Once training is completed TLCs should promptly identify students and teachers that need support Getting into the field quickly seems to be important to helping committee members feel productive and to getting the group to function coherently In the field meetings generally last an hour The first 30 minutes are used to start working directly with identified students and their teachers During this 30 minute block members are working with individual students and their teachers for 10 15 minutes each allowing for an opportunity to work with multiple students during this block of time During the second portion of the meeting TLC members come back together to process review and plan for subsequent meetings Having a set time and day of the week for meeting with teachers and students typically works the best for most TLCs This allows the opportunity to get substitute teachers to cover classrooms for TLC members and creates a consistent pattern and routine for meeting with teachers and students Some TLCs like to meet for an hour as a whole group after an hour of
MEETING STRUCTURE 29 meetings with students and or teachers QUICK LIST This allows time to process information gained from these meetings and time to plan for subsequent meetings with a teacher Set consistent days and times to meet or student TLCs that plan this way meet Meet 45 60 minutes twice a month for two hours Other TLCs Spend 10 15 minutes workhave found that meeting weekly for an ing with identified students hour works better for schedules Some and or their teachers TLCs meet as a whole group before or after school Other TLCs meet entirely during the school day Having some time during the school day is always necessary because this is the only time that is typically available to meet with students and other school staff unless arrangements can be made for students to come to school early or to stay after school Planned communication with receiving teachers is critical Since the amount of time available to meet with teachers is typically very limited meetings need to be scheduled in advance and the content of the meetings should be planned prior to the meetings QUICK LIST Identify students and teachers early on Schedule with teachers students in advance Pre plan what you ll be talking about Safety starts with caring connected relationships Dr Gerald Cox
APPENDIX Forms and Committee Building Activities For the most up to date and electronic versions of the forms and Committe Building Activities visit www HandinHandManual com
STUDENT RANKING FORM 91 student ranking form instructions C heck all boxes that apply Categorical ranking should be based on the number and or significance of the items identified LOW c Fewer than 2 office referrals a month c Behaviors occur frequently but inconsistently c Behaviors continue to occur despite the implementation of universal supports c Behaviors may not occur in all settings c Behaviors are disruptive but not dangerous c Intensity distracts others talking out of turn wandering etc c Limited participation in group activities c Difficulty with work completion c Hangs back from social interactions last to line up last to join the group last one on the carpet c Difficulty with transitions MEDIUM can include low indicators c 2 4 office referrals a month c Behaviors occur multiple times a week c Behavior has occurred for a period of 4 8 weeks c May be occurring in more than one setting c Interventions beyond universal supports have been implemented without success c Verbal physical threats and or destruction to physical environment c Intensity verbal outburst property destruction without intent to harm others self verbal aggression verbal threats c Limited interactions with staff and or peers c Work completion is minimal
CLASS TEACHER GRADE REFERRAL DATE TLC MEMBER S ASSIGNED OBSERVED GETTING TO KNOW STUDENT UNDERSTAND STUDENT CONCERNS This form can be copied or electronically reproduced to create expandable boxes LOW MEDIUM HIGH STUDENT NAME TLC RANKING ADULT CONCERN SHARED WITH STUDENT DID PROBLEM SOLVING TOGETHER INSTRUCTIONS This form is to be completed by a TLC member with the referring school staff member STUDENT TRACKING FORM REVISITED PROBLEM SOLVED STUDENT TRACKING FORM 93
NEEDS ASSESSMENT INVENTORY 95 NEEDS ASSESSMENT INVENTORY STUDENT GRADE DATE INSTRUCTIONS This form is to be completed by a TLC member with the referring school staff member Look at the Hierarchy of Learning on the back of this page think about which needs are not being met ARE THERE ANY LEVELS NOT BEING MET YES NO if not explain IS HE SHE READY FOR LEARNING YES NO if not explain LIST POSSIBLE WAYS TO MEET THOSE NEEDS
TLC STUDENT OF CONCERN REFERRAL FORM EXAMPLE ONE 97 TLC STUDENT OF CONCERN REFERRAL FORM EXAMPLE ONE NAME OF STUDENT GRADE TEACHER DATE PERSON MAKING REFERRAL PARENTS CONTACTED YES CONCERNS AND UNSOLVED PROBLEMS NO WHEN OCCURING UNSURE WHERE OCCURING 1 2 3 STRATEGIES THAT HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTED SUCCESSFUL UNSUCCESSFUL CHECK BELOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE A TLC MEMBER TO CONTACT YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE urgent need FILL IN FORMATION BELOW AS NEEDED Plan Times Availability Observation Times Student Conference Times Turn in Email completed form to
Gerald L Cox Psy D Kimberly F Arnold M A Ed Deanne K McCullough Ed D Theresa R Kummer B S Ed Amanda E Settle M A Ed Hand in Hand A Manual for Creating Trauma Informed Leadership Committees arose from a problem experienced by many schools an abundance of struggling students coupled with a scarcity of mental health resources This manual grew out of the passion of a clinical psychologist two former special education teachers a behavior specialist and a public school principal to create strong trauma informed leadership teams within their districts Following the clear easy to implement guidelines found in this manual school leaders across the country now have a realistic practical and nuts and bolts guide to moving schools from just surviving to thriving HEA
