Catherine DeCarlo Santiago - Creating Healing School Communities: School-Based Interventions for Students Exposed to Trauma

E xposure to traumatic events is all too common, increasing the risk for a range of significant mental problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression; physical health problems; negative health behaviors, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption; impaired social and occupational functioning; and overall lower quality of life. As mass traumas (e.g., September 11, military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan, natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina) have propelled trauma into a brighter public spotlight, the number of trauma survivors seeking services for mental health consequences will likely increase. Yet despite the far-ranging consequences of trauma and the high rates of exposure, relatively little emphasis is placed on trauma education in undergraduate and graduate training programs for mental health service providers in the United States. Calls for action have appeared in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy with such articles as The Need for Inclusion of Psychological Trauma in the Professional Curriculum: A Call to Action by Christine A. Courtois and Steven N. Gold (2009) and The Art and Science of Trauma-Focused Training and Education by Anne P. DePrince and Elana Newman (2011). The lack of education in the assessment and treatment of trauma-related distress and associated clinical issues at undergraduate and graduate levels increases the urgency to develop effective trauma resources for students as well as postgraduate professionals.

The Concise Guides on Trauma Care series addresses that urgent need by providing truly translational books that bring the best of trauma psychology science to mental health professions working in diverse settings. To do so, the series focuses on what we know (and do not know) about specific trauma topics, with attention to how trauma psychology science translates to diverse populations (diversity broadly defined, in terms of development, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and so forth).

This series represents one of many efforts undertaken by Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) of the American Psychological Association to advance trauma training and education (e.g., see http://www.apatraumadivision.org/3/directory-resources-links.html). We are pleased to work with Division 56 and a volunteer editorial board to develop this series, which continues to move forward with the publication of this important guide by Catherine DeCarlo Santiago, Tali Raviv, and Lisa H. Jaycox on school-based interventions for students exposed to trauma. This volume offers a practical and accessible guide for how to infuse school systems with trauma-informed practices that would be beneficial to children and youth exposed to trauma. Improving schools capacity to address the trauma-related mental health needs of students in order to support their learning and success is relevant to educators, school-based mental health providers, researchers, and policymakers alike. Santiago and colleagues integrate empirical information with practical implementation considerations while offering a useful overview of school-based prevention and intervention strategies. This practical book, grounded in scientific data, will be of great use to any professional working with children in the school system. Future books in the series will continue to address a range of assessment, treatment, and developmental issues in trauma-informed care.

Ann T. Chu

Anne P. DePrince

Series Editors