Equip yourself with the tools to address trauma and mental health in your classroom.
Overview
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study in the nineties taught us the prevalence of traumatic experience in society, as well as how trauma influences lifelong learning, health, and behavior. Researchers have found correlations between high ACEs scores (indicating more traumatic experience) and learning or behavior problems, lower grades, and a higher rate of academic failure. While mental health is not a new issue to higher education, the COVID-19 pandemic and other unprecedented events have significantly impacted college student mental health and stress levels. It has therefore become increasingly vital for faculty to understand the effects of trauma and stress on the minds and behaviors of students so that they can tailor their pedagogical approach to better meet their students’ needs.
Join us for a virtual training where our expert speaker Heather Rist will walk you through the effect of trauma, how it presents in the classroom, and how to implement classroom management techniques to reduce the risk of re-traumatization. You will learn to identify the signs and symptoms of trauma, as well as how to calm someone experiencing heightened trauma symptoms and to then connect them with appropriate care and resources on campus.
Who Should Attend
Faculty, graduate teaching assistants, or staff who are responsible for teaching both in-person and online will benefit most from this training. In addition, non-instructional staff who work closely with students may benefit as well.
Recording available 10 business days after the live training.
The Academic Impressions Online Learning Experience
Intentionally Designed
Online Learning
Our virtual trainings go far beyond just replicating PowerPoint presentations online: these experiences are intentionally designed to give you the kind of robust and dynamic learning experience you’ve come to expect from Academic Impressions. These trainings provide you with an active learning environment and an online space where you can explore ideas, get inspired by what your peers are doing, and understand the range of possibilities around a certain topic. You will leave these sessions with practical solutions that you can take back to your team or task force.
What you will get:
- A dynamic, interactive, and high-touch virtual learning experience designed to engage and set you up for growth
- Seamless online face-time, networking, group work, and Q&A opportunities from the comfort of your own workspace
- Practical takeaways and hands-on knowledge
- Guidance from vetted subject matter experts
- Unlimited access to all recorded online sessions
AGENDA
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET
In Part One of this training, our speaker will walk you through the science of trauma and its prevalence in higher education. You will also learn the impact of chronic stress and trauma on the developing brain and learning, as well as how to identify the signs and symptoms of trauma in students.
In this section of the training, we will focus on how to best manage your classroom to reduce the risk of the re-traumatization of students. Our speaker will walk you through the role of faculty in connecting students to resources and care, de-escalation techniques and calming tools for the classroom, and how to set compassionate boundaries and reduce triggers in the classroom.
SPEAKERS

Heather Rist
Counselor, Employee Assistance and Wellness Team, Northern Arizona University
Heather L. Rist is a licensed professional counselor, educator, and consultant in Arizona with a specialty in trauma and trauma-informed care. Heather’s professional career has included community mental health, domestic violence and sexual assault services, private practice, and she is currently the trauma expert on the Employee Assistance and Wellness team for Northern Arizona University.