Students from refugee background and their families are survivors of trauma that is frequently complex in nature. The impact of this trauma is dynamically affected by both ongoing overseas conflict and experiences at school. In addition, these students face challenges of different expectations of education, and interrupted education.
Overseas conflict can affect those who have extended family members and friends remaining in life-threatening situations, and can result in students being exposed to media images, sounds and stories of conflict. Additionally, students from refugee background report frequent experiences of microaggressions, overt interpersonal and systemic racism at school. Trauma symptoms can be triggered affecting learning and the social development opportunities of the educational experience. It also hinders trauma recovery by failing to provide a sense of safety and belonging at school, which is often an aspiration of students and their parents.

Educators play a significant role in the lives of children, young people and their families. School staff, in and outside of the classroom, can have a positive influence on students' education experience in multiple ways. In supportive, culturally safe and trauma informed environments where systemic barriers are addressed, children and young people can thrive. Families can realise the future they dream of for their children.

QPASTT has been engaged in supporting schools and educators to increase their trauma informed and culturally safe education skills. Our work is informed by years of school-based engagement, the experiences of students we work with and support, and informed by current research and evidence-based practice. This presentation offers guidance for school staff to respond to impacts of overseas conflict, racism within school environment, considerations to the educational needs of refugee students, and engaging with families to welcome them to the school community.

There is unanimous agreement in the education and helping sectors that supervision is required for safe, effective practice and to support worker wellbeing (Hawkins & McMahon, 2020). Much of the research related to wellbeing in the education sector (for example) speaks to the need for supervision to support teacher wellbeing and discusses the hope for programs to be implemented and appraised for efficacy (Stapleton, Garby & Sabot, 2020). The path seems clear, the agreement that it should be studied is there, and yet, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have been offered to teachers, with minimal take up or appraisal. Given teachers are over-represented in terms of mental health issues, and have disastrously low rates of EAP participation (data.cese.nsw.gov.au) - the current approach doesn’t seem to be working.

As a qualified teacher and counsellor I have piloted, implemented, reviewed and grown a program of counselling and supervision initially with one school just prior to the pandemic, and now with over 40 organisations from the education and helping sectors. Utilising trauma-informed, person-centred approaches to hold space for helpers to reflect on themselves and their practice, the program has answered the question that research papers hypothesised. The suggestion of research papers that it would be useful, has been demonstrated time and again with phenomenal results both in short and long term engagement.

In this presentation the insights gained into how to effectively supplement and support organisational wellbeing efforts will be shared. The key ingredients that have allowed us to successfully facilitate thousands of sessions with hundreds of clients will be distilled so that participants can think broadly about how to best support their colleagues in their own context. From what type of practitioners are best suited to supervision, to the underlying therapeutic modalities that have been most successful, to some of the key trends that have arisen from the past few years. There are insights and answers that I’ve learned from an innovative approach to the field.

The goal of this teacher workshop is to equip educators with practical tools and information to create a classroom environment that fosters psychological safety. Participants will explore strategies for building trust, promoting open communication, and supporting the emotional well-being of students.

Workshop outline

Understanding Psychological Safety - Definition and Importance: Define psychological safety and discuss its significance in the classroom. Benefits: Explore the positive impact of psychological safety on student engagement, learning outcomes, and overall well-being.

Building Trust and Connection - Introduce the Iceberg Model as a metaphor for understanding the visible and invisible aspects of student emotions. Building Relationships: Discuss practical strategies for building trust and connections with students, including active listening, empathy, and getting to know their interests.

Communication Strategies - Explore the importance of open communication in creating a safe space. Discuss techniques for providing constructive feedback and encouraging students to share their thoughts and concerns - two-way feedback.

Emotional Well-being Support - Recognising the Signs: Provide insights into recognising signs of emotional distress in students. Encourage teachers to reflect on their emotions and reactions.
Provide strategies for handling stress and challenges in the classroom. Discuss ways to teach students emotional intelligence.

Discussion - participants will share their experiences, ask questions, and discuss challenges and successes in implementing psychological safety strategies.

Action Steps: participants will identify one or two actionable steps they can take to enhance psychological safety in their classrooms.

This workshop is designed to be interactive, and participant focused. Encouraging teachers to share their experiences and collaborate on solutions. The goal is for participants to leave with practical tools they can immediately implement in their classrooms to create a more psychologically safe environment for students. Additional Resources: recommended readings, websites, or tools for further exploration.