PRU embeds trauma understanding among teachers

ACTION

Most teachers have felt it; that creeping, embodied sense of fear or dread when a certain pupil enters the classroom. It might even have begun before they got out of bed that morning, in anticipation of that lesson. This sensation isn't only experienced by teachers, however; it can be suffered by any professional working with young people who really struggle with behaviour and emotional wellbeing.

In fact, they may be suffering from secondary traumatic stress. This is when supporting a traumatised person becomes traumatic in itself. People can be slow to recognise this, perhaps out of concern it will be taken as a sign of weakness or incompetence. But secondary trauma is real, and it can damage a practitioner's health and shorten their career. Symptoms are wide-ranging but can include cognitive or emotional disfunction, eating or sleep disorders and depression.