Susan Jones, a member of Resilient Sacramento and Behavior Specialist at San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD), spent the day of the Becoming a Trauma Sensitive School conference, overjoyed. This conference, held on February 15, 2017, has been Susan's long term goal with the district. The day she planned for the convened administrators, teachers, and school staff members was an phenomenal success. The SJUSD Family and Community Engagement Department, led by Director Kate Hazarian, was instrumental in advocating for this opportunity to catalyze trauma sensitive schools in this district.
For many in the room, this conference, from the keynote that addressed the science and social factors underlying human responses to trauma; to the workshops that shared tools for both understanding and coping with the stress associated with trauma, was the first opportunity to receive such a comprehensive overview of what is meant by the term "trauma-sensitive".
Early in the day, school psychologist provided the participants with training on the first, simple tool for building resilience: the Mindful Moment. Just one minute to explain, and two minutes to learn how to calm the body, ready to address the day's challenges. This is a tool that school staffs can use immediately to begin building resilience into the school environment.
Keynote speaker Dr. Flojaune Griffin Cofer, an epidemiologist who works with the California State Department of Health, presented "How Trauma gets UNDER the Skin (and what we can do about it)". Through the lens of life course theory, Dr. Cofer addressed how the brain reacts to stress, and how this biochemical reaction can impact behavior in every environment, including and especially schools. 
During the conference, more tools for calming trauma and building resilience were literally on display, and actively used by participants. Adult coloring sheets and pencils, as well as colorful pipe cleaners, were on every table, and participants were encouraged to "doodle" while listening to the speakers. Kate Hazarian, who helped convene the conference, informed the participants that simple tools like coloring and fidgeting with pipe cleaners can be very soothing to anyone experiencing the hyperarousal from a traumatic background, and actually help students focus more.
WORKSHOPS
Participants had the opportunity to attend one workshop before lunch, and another after lunch. Topics included:
- Mindfulness- De-stressing Yourself and High School Classroom with Mindfulness Based Practices
- Mindfulness in the Classroom: Transform Oneself, Transform Others- Transform One Child at a Time
- Restorative Practices: Know Your Triggers and Practicing Restorative Conversations
- Addressing Stress in School Based Health Supports
- School Response to Immediate Crisis
- Violence as a Health Issue
- Responding to Trauma- A Tiered Approach
- ACEs Science and How People Are Using It
The lunch break included tables from local agencies that provide resources and perspectives on the needs of families and communities. Resilient Sacramento, the local ACES Network Connection group, was well-represented, as participants and as workshop leaders.
Many familiar faces!
Jane Stevens presented on ACEs Science and How People Are Using It
TEAMWORK
After the workshops, participants reconvened, seated at tables by school. It was time to get to work reflecting on how to bring what they have learned back to their schools and classrooms. With a set of guiding questions in hand, school teams reflected on their potential to partner with community organizations to help connect families to resilience building resources; how to consider adjusting responses to student behavior given participants' deepening, complex understanding of the impacts of trauma; and to develop a plan of action that includes asking for support from both the district and the community.
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