This 12 hour course offers recommendations to cultivate a compassionate school community that will buffer against the negative effects of trauma, build resilience for all students, and provide stress-relief and enhanced well-being for teachers and other school personnel as well as students.

Participants will learn how to implement the Compassionate School Mental Health model being used to enhance services to schools and districts in the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center's Childhood Trauma-Learning Collaborative. Learn about the neurobiology of trauma and toxic stress, how it affects staff and student well-being, and best practices for preventing, responding to, and alleviating the effects of trauma. Get guidance on developing a vision to transform into a compassionate school community that includes the voices of many stakeholders. Gain an understanding of how a compassionate school mental health support system can help schools create systems, policies, and protocols to prevent, address, and recover from tragedies and crises including staff or student suicide, school violence, natural disasters, and global pandemics.

All of these activities, including case studies, will allow for knowledge application and prepare participants to consider implications for schoolwide implementation.

This course was developed by the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center with funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

12-hour CEs available