SCHOOLS
Children are coming to our schools more stressed out, overwhelmed, and dysregulated than ever before. A shift to a trauma-informed platform is the answer to giving these students a chance at reaching their full potential and finding their joy.
Being trauma-informed means working from a perspective of regulation instead of behavior, empowerment instead of punishment, and relationship instead of fear.
Roadmap to Becoming
Trauma-Informed
Whether you are just beginning the journey of becoming trauma-informed or you have been working for several years to implement this model, you've come to the right place. We have resources for everyone on your team from beginners to those who are advanced in their knowledge base.
Attend
Watch
Read
Tier 1
Tier 2
The roadmap below will guide you to know what resources you need for your next step. These resources are divided into three categories: Read, Watch, and Attend.
Tier 1
If you are new this journey of becoming trauma-informed or you have had some basic training in ACE's, Tier 1 is the place to start. This tier will help you build a strong foundation in understanding the impact that trauma has on students as well as easy to implement strategies. The resources listed below can be used in any order.
Read
Tier 1
Watch
Tier 1
You Tube Videos (Free)
Build your foundational knowledge with Heather's YouTube videos.
Online Course ($9.99)
Watch the online webinar, "The Trauma-Sensitive Classroom" either solo or with your entire team/staff.
Help for Billy ($19.95)
Read "Help for Billy" to set the foundation for your understanding of what it means to be trauma-informed.
Book Study ($24.95)
Get your team together and do a book study with the Help for Billy Study Guide.
Daily Reflections (Free)
Sign-up to receive a daily email to support you in changing your paradigm one day at a time.
Tier 2
If you have the basics down and you are ready to challenge yourself to go to the next level of being trauma-informed, you will want the resources in listed here in Tier 2. This tier will also equip and empower you to train your entire school in this model. The resources listed below can be used in any order.
Read
Tier 2
Tier 2
Attend
VIRTUAL BOOTCAMP ($380)
Have your leadership team attend Heather's in-depth virtual training to equip them to move your school to the top tier of being trauma-informed.
Classroom180 Live
($647/$697)
Classroom180 Live is a two and a half-day intensive training. Learn how to create the most advanced trauma-informed classroom.
Trauma-Informed Books for Schools
Classroom180: A Framework for Creating, Sustaining, and Assessing the Trauma-Informed Classroom
Classroom180: A Framework of Creating, Sustaining, and Assessing the Trauma-Informed Classroom, by Heather T. Forbes, LCSW is a comprehensive roadmap of what it means to fully create, implement, and sustain a trauma-informed classroom from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Additionally, Classroom180 includes an assessment tool, the Classroom180 Rubric, that can be used by administrators and other specialists who support teachers on the journey of becoming trauma-informed.
The Trauma-Informed School: A Step-by-Step Implementation Guide for Administrators and School Personnel
The Trauma-Informed School is an all-inclusive guide designed to give school administrators of any school (elementary, middle, or high school), step-by-step instructions on how to turn a school of any size into a trauma-informed school. With over 250 pages of content, this guide gives you the protocols you need along with a link to download all of the documents needed for a successful implementation.
A Study Guide for Help for Billy
This chapter by chapter study guide follows the ground-breaking book, "Help for Billy: A Beyond Consequences Approach to Working with Challenging Children in the Classroom." It is created for teachers to help in creating trauma-informed classrooms. This study guide is a must for any teacher, school, or school district needing to answer the question, "What does this really look like to have a trauma-informed focus?"
This guide is ideal to be used for a book study group of educators to generate discussions, explore new approaches, and implement effective strategies for students who exhibit challenging behaviors.
Help for Billy
Help for Billy is a pragmatic manual to help guide educators and parents who are struggling with children impacted by trauma. Based on the concept of the neuroscience of emotions and behaviors, Heather T. Forbes, LCSW provides detailed, comprehensive, and logical strategies for teachers and parents.
This easy to ready book, with tables, outlines, and lists, clears the way for a better understanding of the true nature regarding traumatic experiences affecting the brain and learning. It is a must read for anyone working with a child in the classroom. It has become a "bible" for setting the foundation for creating a trauma-informed school.
The Trauma-Informed Curriculum for Social-Emotional Learning: Preschool - Early Elementary
For young children who have experienced or continually experience trauma, supportive, loving, and strong relationships are critical to their ability to heal and to learn. This curriculum was created from the primary author's direct experience in working with young children impacted by trauma. It has been tested and approved by our young learners! This is a must have resource if you are working with children impacted by trauma. It will give you the tools you need to help them build and develop the skills to successfully express themselves at the social and emotional levels.
The Gingerbread Girl
Full of pizzazz and adventure, The Gingerbread Girl takes children on an exploratory journey of emotions, survival challenges, and determination. Written from a trauma perspective, unlike the traditional Gingerbread Boy store, it has a different ending (SPOILER ALERT) that shows how even in the most challenging situations, you can still remain in a place of personal power and confidence.
The Gingerbread Girl includes an in-depth social/emotional discussion guide written by Heather T. Forbes, LCSW. It is designed to be an example of how any traditional storybook can be used as a social/emotional learning experience for children.