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An invitation from the University of Hull, Sheffield Hallam University and Oxford Brookes University to consider higher education through the lens of trauma informed practice.
In her blog post on Improving the Transition to Higher Education, Jenny Shaw encouraged us to open ‘universities’ doors wide enough to let students’ lives in’. She was referring to the challenges and traumas that students carry with them – factors that cannot be neatly separated from how they learn.
There is growing interest in trauma-informed care in statutory education, enhanced by concerns about children’s mental health. We represent three higher education institutions – Hull, Sheffield Hallam and Oxford Brookes – at varying stages of embedding trauma-informed practices in education through our work with Trauma Informed Schools UK.
We would like to persuade you that all students (and staff) can benefit from a more compassionate, trauma-informed approach to higher education. We contend that this approach can support workforce development, enhance student learning and improve student and staff wellbeing. They can also support universities to strengthen their civic missions, fostering supportive and inclusive communities beyond the campus.
What is trauma and how does it affect learning?
Trauma refers to events or circumstances experienced as harmful or life-threatening and that can result in long-term and adverse effects on physical, social, mental and emotional well-being. Traumatic experiences include childhood abuse, neglect and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as discrimination and poverty. The Covid-19 pandemic is a recent example of collective trauma.
Trauma activates the brain’s fight/flight/freeze mechanisms, and can impact executive functioning, emotional regulation and motivation. This can lead to difficulties in engagement, relationships, attendance and achievement.
A trauma-informed approach to education recognises the potential impact of trauma on wellbeing and behaviour in the learning environment and seeks to mitigate the impact through appropriate pedagogies and practices. It also aims to avoid re-traumatisation through institutional systems and processes.
How prevalent is trauma?
By its nature, trauma tends to remain hidden and can therefore go unrecognised. However, a study reported in The Lancet found that one in three young people in England and Wales reported trauma exposure and one in 13 had experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by the age of 18.
University study often coincides with significant life changes and stressors – which can compound trauma. Some individuals and groups are more at risk than others, particularly where cumulative experiences of trauma are present. Unsurprisingly, concerns about students’ mental health and wellbeing have become more prevalent, with around one-third of students requiring professional support for a range of emotional, social, behavioural and mental health problems.
What does trauma-informed higher education look like in practice?
An inclusive approach to teaching and learning benefits all learners, not just those with a diagnosed special educational need. Likewise, trauma-informed approaches benefit many – not just the visibly distressed – by promoting thoughtful, compassionate practices. Our collective experience across institutions suggests several key benefits and examples:
Workforce preparation: trauma-informed education and training can equip students for careers in fields where trauma is particularly prevalent including education, health, social care, criminal justice and law. The Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University has been a pioneer in developing trauma-informed teacher education in England. The Universities of Hull and Oxford Brookes are now also working towards this aim and considering how they can extend this to other professional programmes across campus.
Positive learning environments: relational and compassionate approaches to pedagogy – which many of you will already be familiar with – can improve the student learning environment across all subject disciplines. Simple practices such as warmly greeting students (by name where feasible), empathetic responses, signposting students to support, and class layouts that promote belonging and safety, can all make a positive difference.
Supporting staff wellbeing: trauma-informed approaches also increase compassion and support for teaching and support staff. The University of Hull has collaborated with the Humber Violence Prevention Partnership to evaluate the impact of trauma-informed training for staff in two local schools. Early findings highlight benefits in preventing burnout and improving staff wellbeing. Hull has also created a community of practice to provide support for personal supervisors (personal tutors), in recognition of the diversity of issues they assist students with.
Driving institutional change: Oxford Brookes University has used trauma-informed practices to develop training around sexual consent, establish a Gender Based Violence Advisory Group and host an annual Violence Against Women and Girls conference, attended by over 1000 participants. Sheffield Hallam has recently committed to training senior leadership in trauma-informed approaches to education.
Supporting local communities: in 2021 Sheffield Hallam opened a nursery and early years research centre in an area of significant socio-economic challenge in Sheffield. Staff there are trained to create psychologically safe spaces for families, contributing to the nursery’s recent outstanding Ofsted rating.
When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”
Alexander Den Heijer
Creating a trauma-informed learning environment in higher education isn’t just an option – it’s a necessity. By integrating these practices and pedagogies, we can foster more inclusive, supportive spaces that allow all students to thrive and model a compassionate, progressive graduate workforce.
Want to get involved?
We warmly invite you to join our Trauma-informed Higher Education Network – a collaborative community of academics and practitioners committed to embedding trauma-informed approaches in our institutions. To indicate interest, please contact: Sarah Donkin at s.donkin@hull.ac.uk
Sarah Donkin (Senior Lecturer Education and Childhood Studies, University of Hull)
Jennifer Kirman (Principal Lecturer Education and Student Experience, Oxford Brookes University)
Dr Rachel Payne (Deputy Head Education and Student Experience, Oxford Brookes University)
Professor Sally Pearse (Director of the Early Years Community Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University)
Suzi Storr (Partnership Area Tutor & Lecturer in Education, University of Hull)
