Session 4A
Tracks
Track 1
| Saturday, October 31, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 1:05 PM |
| Plaza Ballroom, Plaza Level |
Overview
Plaza Ballroom
Speaker
Janise Mitchell
Chief Executive Officer
Australian Childhood Foundation
From Trauma-Informed to Trauma-Transformative: Creating Classrooms Where Children Can Heal, Belong and Thrive
11:30 AM - 1:05 PMAbstract
Children do not leave their experiences at the school gate. Many arrive in classrooms carrying the impacts of adversity, loss, exclusion, disrupted relationships and trauma. While trauma-informed approaches have helped educators better understand the effects of these experiences on learning and behaviour, trauma-transformative practice challenges us to go further, moving beyond awareness to intentionally creating environments that support healing, connection, agency and hope.
This highly interactive workshop introduces educators to the 12 Elements of Trauma-Transformative Practice, a framework that positions relationships as the foundation for both learning and healing. Through practical reflection, collaborative discussion and real-world classroom scenarios, participants will explore how trauma-transformative principles can be embedded in everyday teaching practice. The workshop focuses on creating learning environments that are safety dedicated, relationally integrative, shame responsive, compassion oriented and guided by therapeutic intent.
Rather than viewing challenging behaviour through a lens of compliance and control, teachers will be invited to consider how experiences of trauma, grief, shame and disconnection shape children's engagement with school, relationships and learning. Participants will examine how seemingly ordinary moments such as greeting students, responding to distress, managing conflict, fostering student voice and building belonging can become powerful opportunities for growth and healing.
Using case studies, small-group activities and reflective inquiry, educators will explore practical strategies for strengthening felt safety, nurturing meaningful relationships, honouring lived experience and fostering hope within their classrooms and school communities. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how trauma-transformative principles can support both student wellbeing and educational outcomes, while also identifying concrete actions they can implement immediately in their own practice.
This highly interactive workshop introduces educators to the 12 Elements of Trauma-Transformative Practice, a framework that positions relationships as the foundation for both learning and healing. Through practical reflection, collaborative discussion and real-world classroom scenarios, participants will explore how trauma-transformative principles can be embedded in everyday teaching practice. The workshop focuses on creating learning environments that are safety dedicated, relationally integrative, shame responsive, compassion oriented and guided by therapeutic intent.
Rather than viewing challenging behaviour through a lens of compliance and control, teachers will be invited to consider how experiences of trauma, grief, shame and disconnection shape children's engagement with school, relationships and learning. Participants will examine how seemingly ordinary moments such as greeting students, responding to distress, managing conflict, fostering student voice and building belonging can become powerful opportunities for growth and healing.
Using case studies, small-group activities and reflective inquiry, educators will explore practical strategies for strengthening felt safety, nurturing meaningful relationships, honouring lived experience and fostering hope within their classrooms and school communities. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how trauma-transformative principles can support both student wellbeing and educational outcomes, while also identifying concrete actions they can implement immediately in their own practice.
Biography
Janise Mitchell is one of Australia’s leading voices in the field of childhood trauma and child abuse prevention. A career spanning more than 30 years, she has played a pivotal role in transforming systems of care and advancing therapeutic support for vulnerable children and young people.
Janise is the Chief Executive Officer of Australian Childhood Foundation delivering trauma-informed therapeutic services across Australia. In this role, she has led the development and implementation of state-wide and national programs in therapeutic out-of-home care, therapeutic counselling services for children and young people who have experienced a range of forms of abuse and violence, child abuse prevention, and professional education. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Southern Cross University, where she contributes to research on relationship-based and trauma-responsive practice. She is a Board member of both the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (Victoria and Tasmania).
She was awarded a Master of Social Work (Research) in 2008, with a focus on therapeutic care policy and practice. Since then, Janise has led applied research projects, government consultancies, and program evaluations, ensuring that evidence translates into real-world impact. She has collaborated with leading researchers including Professor Chris Goddard and the late Dr Joe Tucci and is currently involved in a range of Australian Research Council funded research projects with a number of universities across Australia.
Janise has published more than 48 peer-reviewed articles, co-edited and written chapters in two internationally recognised books: The Handbook of Therapeutic Care (2019) and The Handbook of Transformative Practice (2024), both published by Jessica Kingsley, London. She also co-convenes the biannual International Trauma Conference, which attracts over 2,500 professionals globally.
