One way to apply trauma-informed approaches in the classroom is by providing trauma-sensitive sexual health education. With estimated rates of youths' exposure to sexual abuse as high as 43%, it is imperative that sexual health education programs and facilitators be sensitive to trauma and empowering to survivors. This requires the removal of all shaming and fear-inducing programmatic language, an archaic and ineffective strategy previously used to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy . [ii]

 

EngenderHealth's U.S. Programs office, located in Austin, focuses on promoting adolescent well-being by developing and delivering comprehensive sexual health and healthy relationship education steeped in youth empowerment principles. Our two youth sexual health programs, Gender Matters and Re:MIX, both integrate trauma approaches into their programmatic frameworks in the following ways:  

• Provide training on trauma-provide ongoing training to all of our sexual health educators and to our partners seeking to incorporate trauma-informed practices into their own work on the impact of trauma, and how to foster warm, nonjudgmental, empathic, and genuine environments in the classroom. 

• Incorporate trauma sensitive language-write trauma sensitivity into our own curricula and help our partner organizations incorporate trauma-informed principles into their programming, so that it is non-shaming and reminds participants that even though the goal of the program is to provide important health information to enable youth to lead healthy lives, not everyone has had positive experiences in the past. 

• Integrate a sex positive approach-integrate sex positivity with trauma sensitivity to help youth recognize the benefits of healthy relationships and sexual interactions while empowering them to make their own decisions.

• Address trauma-allow participants to step out or talk to a trusted adult when they are feeling uncomfortable or upset during class and to normalize feelings regarding past experiences.

• Connect to youth-friendly resources-provide youth with additional resources, whether in school or within the community, that have been vetted to deliver services with youths' needs at the forefront. 

Trauma-informed sex education has quickly become the gold standard in the field of adolescent health. Many federal funding sources now require all new sexual health programs be trauma-informed, and older programs need to be adapted to meet these updated standards.

 

Inevitably, youth who receive medically accurate sex education delivered in a sensitive and nonjudgmental manner are better equipped to not only understand and address their trauma, but also begin to break the cycle of trauma in all areas of their life.

 

For more information on EngenderHealth, please visit engenderhealth.org.  

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Traditional Chinese Medicine is an ancient healing system that includes acupuncture, herbal remedies, bodywork, Tai chi and Qi Gong. Based on a holistic approach that views the body, mind and spirit as an integrated whole, the primary objective of Chinese medicinal therapeutic interventions is to remove the cause of disease by restoring an internal state of balance and harmony.

 

The concept of emotional upset or imbalance as a cause of physical ailments - and vice versa - is fundamental to the Chinese medicine paradigm. Emotions such as anger, worry, grief and fear can become causes of physical disease when they are enduring or very intense (Maciocia, 2005). Shock is said to affect the heart and "scatter" the vital energy (Qi) of the body.

 

As a Licensed Acupuncturist and the Director of Integrative Medicine in a counseling center with a program for military service members, veterans and their families, I have treated countless individuals diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have learned that traumatic stress is not only a psychological phenomenon, but also a broader chaotic state of imbalance impacting mind, body and spirit.

 

Chinese medicine's holistic approach makes it uniquely suited for the treatment of individuals suffering from the spectrum of mental and physical symptoms associated with traumatic stress. Acupuncture - perhaps the most-researched modality of Chinese medicine - involves the insertion of thin, solid, sterile needles into specific points to balance the body's energy. Research into the efficacy of acupuncture and its mechanisms of action is yielding encouraging results, specifically for the treatment of traumatic stress-related issues.

 

To read full article, click here. 

 

Students play an important role in shaping campus climate. Their voices and creativity are central in our Summer Youth Leadership Academy, a collaboration with the City of Austin/ Travis County Summer Work-based Learning Program. Beginning in June, 2016, 15 Manor high school students will work with Expect Respect counselors to learn how to be advocates and educate their peers about healthy and unhealthy relationships. Their work will be featured throughout the coming year to encourage students to speak out and stop abuse and harassment.