Session 1B
Tracks
Track 2
| Thursday, October 29, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 1:05 PM |
| Plaza Auditorium, Plaza Level |
Overview
Plaza Auditorium
Speaker
Ms Sarah Ralston
Director/ceo
Rebooting Life Pty Ltd
From trauma-informed to trauma-transformative: findings from two decades of trauma informed practice in schools
11:30 AM - 1:05 PMAbstract
Are you Saturday proofing the young people you work with?
Drawing from 20 years of trauma-informed practice in schools, communities and remote settings, Sarah Ralston (Reboot CEO) introduces trauma-transformative practice in this interactive master class. Trauma transformative practice has emerged through the trialling of a broad range of trauma-informed strategies in over 900 school settings. The integration of trauma related neuroscience findings with agency, hope, behavioural change and resilience theories has resulted in reductions in recorded major and minor incidents in school data of between 50-80%.
Through the discussion of four school case studies (early childhood, primary, remote and Special) this workshop will describe the three pillars of trauma-transformative practice and explore the suggested mechanisms of change. This workshop will explore successes, mistakes and the ways trauma transformative practices can be embedded in daily school operations in a range of settings.
This workshop will explore:
• Application of whole brain (neuroscience) approaches into programming, pedagogy, relationship and co regulation, staff awareness and environmental design.
• The importance of a whole community approach to behavioural change, in which new patterns of interaction become normative, reducing individual effort while also fostering a collective sense of hope, safety, and capability.
• The empowerment of individuals through protective skill building and the critical role of visuals, repetition in daily routine, coaching language and embodiment. The core skills of self-regulation, problem solving, communication, healthy peer relationship skills and positive learning identity and metacognition will be addressed.
• Fostering agency and resilience in all ages through self-awareness, responsibility, practice and accountability.
• The role of trauma-informed staff wellbeing in learner attainment and behaviour.
Central to trauma-transformative practice is the cultivation of healthy independence, resilience and adaptability: essential to Saturday proofing young people.
Drawing from 20 years of trauma-informed practice in schools, communities and remote settings, Sarah Ralston (Reboot CEO) introduces trauma-transformative practice in this interactive master class. Trauma transformative practice has emerged through the trialling of a broad range of trauma-informed strategies in over 900 school settings. The integration of trauma related neuroscience findings with agency, hope, behavioural change and resilience theories has resulted in reductions in recorded major and minor incidents in school data of between 50-80%.
Through the discussion of four school case studies (early childhood, primary, remote and Special) this workshop will describe the three pillars of trauma-transformative practice and explore the suggested mechanisms of change. This workshop will explore successes, mistakes and the ways trauma transformative practices can be embedded in daily school operations in a range of settings.
This workshop will explore:
• Application of whole brain (neuroscience) approaches into programming, pedagogy, relationship and co regulation, staff awareness and environmental design.
• The importance of a whole community approach to behavioural change, in which new patterns of interaction become normative, reducing individual effort while also fostering a collective sense of hope, safety, and capability.
• The empowerment of individuals through protective skill building and the critical role of visuals, repetition in daily routine, coaching language and embodiment. The core skills of self-regulation, problem solving, communication, healthy peer relationship skills and positive learning identity and metacognition will be addressed.
• Fostering agency and resilience in all ages through self-awareness, responsibility, practice and accountability.
• The role of trauma-informed staff wellbeing in learner attainment and behaviour.
Central to trauma-transformative practice is the cultivation of healthy independence, resilience and adaptability: essential to Saturday proofing young people.
Biography
Sarah Ralston has spent more than 20 years supporting schools and communities to address the impact of stress and trauma. Long before "trauma-informed" entered the staffroom, Sarah began quest to discover practical ways to apply trauma and behavioural change theories to create healthier and happier communities. Founder and CEO of Rebooting Life and creator of the Reboot and Resilient Us programs, she has worked with over 900 schools, early childhood centres, NGOs, youth justice and residential care organisations. Passionate to help build communities of hope and agency, she and her team have trained more than 200,000 people across Australia and New Zealand. Schools using her approach have recorded 50–80% reductions in major and minor incidents. Sarah has also trained over 25 000 frontline staff in trauma-informed staff wellbeing. A therapist and educator by training, Sarah has taught trauma-informed education at QUT and contributed to the foundation of the Berry Street Education Model. She now leads the field's next step: trauma-transformative practice. Offstage, you'll find her with her family and friends, traveling to remote villages and hiking somewhere gloriously out of phone reception.
Session chair
Carmel Hobbs
University of Tasmania
