Trauma and Resilience with Ricky Robertson

AdLit.org

The Trauma and Resilience series explores topics related to trauma-informed teaching in schools. In this podcast series, educator and consultant Ricky Robertson, interviews guests who offer unique personal and professional insights on ways to support educators, students, and communities impacted by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma. The series examines the impact of ACEs and trauma and the power of human resilience while also exploring related topics such as the importance of culturally affirming teaching, ways to support immigrant and refugee students, and the journey toward post-traumatic growth. Series Host: Ricky Robertson Ricky Robertson is an educator, author, and consultant who has worked with alternative and traditional schools, serving students from grades preK-12 within urban, suburban, and semi-rural communities. He provides coaching, consultation, and multi-day professional development workshops to build systems of support for students impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma, and the educators who work with them. He has a background in Restorative Justice/Practices, culturally responsive teaching, LGBTQ+ student advocacy, and trauma-informed practices for teaching and behavior management. He is the co-author of Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach. The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. The video version of this podcast is available on AdLit.org at https://www.adlit.org/trauma-and-teaching.

Episodes

  1. 07/12/2023

    Episode 110: “Mental Health Supports in Schools and Communities” with Teri B. Lawler, EdD, LPCMH

    In 1964, Malcolm X said, “When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘we’ even illness becomes wellness.” In this episode — with that quotation in mind — Ricky and Teri Lawler, EdD, discuss the importance of community because you can’t have whole children learning and succeeding in school if you don’t have healthy families and thriving communities. Dr. Lawler is a school psychologist who leads the work in trauma-informed practice s and SEL at the Delaware Department of Education. She is passionate about creating equitable educational opportunities for all children and youth regardless of zip code. She works to reduce the barriers to learning by increasing awareness of the impact of trauma and toxic stress and creating trauma-responsive assessment and intervention frameworks. Dr. Lawler is also committed to translating research to practice to ensure that the highest quality learnings inform daily school practices. She is a founding member, trainer, and curriculum architect at Delaware Compassionate Schools Learning Collaborative. RELATED RESOURCES Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline - Lori Desautels, PhD Help for Billy: A Beyond Consequences Approach to Helping Challenging Children in the Classroom – Heather Forbes, LCSW Schools Cannot Do It Alone – Jamie Robert Vollmer The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    34 min

  2. 07/05/2023

    Episode 109: “Supporting Refugee Students” with Sara Rowbottom

    In this episode, Ricky talks with Sara Rowbottom about how prioritizing structures, routines, and opportunities for students of forced migration is crucial for creating a restorative and safe place for them at school. Sara explains that school communities use healing classrooms for helping students of forced migration acclimate and succeed in school through five main strategies: creating a sense of control, a sense of belonging, and a sense of self-worth in addition to emphasizing positive relationships and intellectual stimulation. Sara Rowbottom is senior technical advisor for Education & Youth programs at the International Rescue Committee . She is an expert in education and social emotional assets development with children and youth affected by forced migration in the contexts of resettlement, asylum and integration. She leads a team supporting IRC’s Education & Youth work across the United States and Europe. Among the types of programs supporting newly arrived students and families under her leadership include intensive Newcomer Youth Summer Academies to prepare students for success in public schools, individualized coaching and support around educational transitions (e.g. into school, into post-secondary education, etc.), tutoring programs, and Healing Classrooms educator professional development. RELATED RESOURCES Toxic Stress and Well-Being Among Students Affected by Forced Migration Well-Being for Educators of Students Affected by Forced Migration: Introduction to Mindfulness  Toolkit: Supporting Afghan Students in Schools & Youth Programs in the United States  Switchboard The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org/trauma.

    28 min

  3. 06/28/2023

    Episode 108: “Trauma-Responsive Education Support Professionals” with Petra Burkard, RN

    In this episode, Ricky talks with School Nurse Petra Burkard, RN about the small moments she finds with students and their families to build trust and meaningful relationships — whether during drop-off or dismal or during lunch or in the corridor between classes. She also talks about the importance of staff communication, which on so many levels helps build a community of support for everyone at school from the students and teachers to the paraprofessionals and cafeteria and custodial staff. Petra Burkard is a school nurse at an Alaska Native Cultural Charter School that focuses on Alaska Native Culture and serves predominately Alaska Native children. The mother of seven children ages 4-23, Ms. Burkard spent eight years in a family practice working with all ages from birth to geriatric. For almost seven years, she also worked at a psychiatric/behavioral hospital for children. She is currently in her ninth year at a title 1 school in Alaska, grades prek-8th and particularly enjoys working with kids and their families. RELATED RESOURCES The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma – Bessel van der Kolk, MD What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing – Bruce Perry, MD, PhD and Oprah Winfrey The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    22 min

  4. 06/21/2023

    Episode 107: “Trauma-Informed Teaching and the Brain” with Bruce Perry, MD, PhD

    In this episode, Ricky and Dr. Bruce Perry discuss how a young person’s brain can react neurologically, physiologically, and psychologically to trauma. Also, from Dr. Perry’s perspective as a researcher, clinician, and teacher focused on young people’s mental health and the neuroscience of the brain, they talk about resilience as well as the fact that support and encouragement from educators can have an enduring, life-long impact on students. Show Notes Dr. Bruce Perry is principal of the Neurosequential Network and a professor (adjunct) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria  Australia. Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician, and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. Dr. Perry is the author of several books including his most recent, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021), co-authored with Oprah Winfrey.  Related Resources What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing – Bruce Perry, MD, PhD and Oprah Winfrey The Neurosequential Network (Neurosequential.com & BDPerry.com)  Prevent Child Abuse America Center for Healing & Justice through Sport The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    23 min

  5. 06/14/2023

    Episode 106: “Indigenous Education and the Power of Stories” with Leilani Sabzalian, PhD

    In this episode, Ricky and Leilani Sabzalian, PhD talk about her work teaching and cultivating learning environments that are respectful and have a sense of responsibility to indigenous peoples. They also talk about the power of intergenerational storytelling as well as “survivance” — a term which combines “survival” and “resistance” and encapsulates spiritual resistance and indigenous peoples’ active sense of presence in spite of colonialism and other Eurocentric systems. Dr. Leilani Sabzalian (Alutiiq) is an assistant professor of Indigenous Studies in Education and the co-director of the Sapsik'wałá (Teacher) Education Program at the University of Oregon. Her research uses Native feminist theories to create more just and humanizing spaces for Indigenous students in public schools. She also serves on the American Indian/Alaska Native State Advisory Committee and collaborates with the Office of Indian Education to support professional development around the implementation of Tribal History/Shared History. She is the author of several books including her latest, Teaching Critically About Lewis and Clark: Challenging Dominant Narratives in K-12 Curriculum, co-authored with Drs. Alison Schmitke and Jeff Edmundson.  RELATED RESOURCES Indigenous Children’s Survivance in Public Schools (Indigenous and Decolonizing Studies in Education) – Leilani Sabzalian, PhD Red Pedagogy: Native American Social and Political Thought – Sandy Grande Indian Education for All: Decolonizing Indigenous Education in Public Schools – John Hopkins The Auntie Way: Stories Celebrating Kindness, Fierceness, and Creativity – Michelle Jacob Helen Thomas, MEd, Hunkpapa Lakota educator, writer, curriculum designer, and professional learning facilitator The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    29 min

  6. 06/07/2023

    Episode 105: “Reading and Resilience” with Cornelius Minor

    In this episode, Ricky and Cornelius Minor talk about the importance of educators co-constructing communities along with their students so that the classroom culture more intentionally reflects the shared humanity, authenticity, and experience of each person — educator and student — in the class. Show Notes Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His 2018 book, We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices — specifically in the choice to really listen to kids. He has been featured in Education Week, Brooklyn Magazine, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has partnered with The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, The New York City Department of Education, The International Literacy Association, and Lesley University’s Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative.  RELATED RESOURCES The Minor Collective The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children – Gloria Ladson-Billings Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School – Carla Shalaby Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement Gap – Alfred Tatum Twitter: @MisterMinor Instagram: corneliusminor The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    41 min

  7. 05/31/2023

    Episode 104: “Leading for Resilience” with Mathew Portell, MEd

    In this episode, Ricky and Mathew Portell talk about what school-wide communities of care look like and the role administrators can play in putting systems in place that support the well-being of students and educators alike. Mathew Portell, MEd Mathew Portell is an educator and the founder of Trauma Informed Educators Network and Paradigm Shift Education. He’s also a podcaster, international keynote speaker and trainer, and the 2020-2021 Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Elementary Principal of the Year. It was through the collaborative team approach and building positive relationships that he was been able to lead his school into success. The school’s work has been featured on National Public Radio, the local documentary Enough, PBS, and Edutopia, one of the world’s top educational practices website funded by the George Lucas Foundation. Related Resources: Trauma Informed Educators Network Social Group Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast PACEs Connection Resource Center  The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    32 min

  8. 05/24/2023

    Episode 103: “Post-Traumatic Growth” with Eranda Jayawickreme, PhD

    Post-Traumatic Growth In this episode, Ricky and Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme discuss the impacts of the belief that adversity often leads to growth or positive outcomes, as well as the power of trusting relationships, humility, and empathy in the wake of trauma. Eranda Jayawickreme, PhD Professor of Psychology, Wake Forest University Eranda Jayawickreme is the Harold W. Tribble Professor of Psychology and senior research fellow at the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. He received his Ph.D. in positive and social/personality psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. His research, which integrates his interests in both philosophy and psychology, focuses on post-traumatic growth as positive personality change, moral personality, wisdom, well-being, and integrative theories of personality. He has worked with populations in Rwanda, Sri Lanka and various populations in the United States.  Related Resources Redesigning Research on Post-Traumatic Growth - Frank J. Infurna and Eranda Jayawickreme Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved – Kate Bowler A Heart That Works – Rob Delaney Dark Matters: Pessimism and the Problem of Suffering - Mara van der Lugt The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    38 min

  9. 05/17/2023

    Episode 102: “Lived Experience and Advocacy” with William Kellibrew

    In this episode, Ricky and William Kellibrew talk about healing after trauma, trauma-informed practice, and how collaboration among schools, families, and communities can create safer spaces for young people. William Kellibrew is a global victim and survivor advocate and founder of The William Kellibrew Foundation. Having witnessed the murders of his mother and 12-year-old-brother by his mother’s ex-boyfriend in their family living room when he was 10 years old, he now travels the globe sharing his message of courage and hope throughout multiple human service systems and settings with key audiences including: mental health, substance use, adult and juvenile justice, corrections, domestic violence shelters and programs, sexual assault programs, and youth leadership among many others. From Japan, China, and the United Kingdom to Guam, Ireland and communities across the United States, Mr. Kellibrew has worked with many of those nations’ leaders, professionals, and others who continue to put children and youth first. Related Resources Resilient Rose: The Rebirth of Dignity – William Kellibrew The William Kellibrew Foundation SAMSA: Tip 57: Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom – Kristen Souers Healing Invisible Wounds: Paths to Hope and Recovery in a Violent World – Richard Mollica, MD The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the complete Trauma and Resilience series on AdLit.org.

    42 min

  10. 05/10/2023

    Episode 101: “Dealing with Adverse Childhood Experiences” with Nadine Burke Harris, MD

    In this episode, Ricky and Dr. Burke Harris have a powerful discussion about adverse childhood experiences, toxic stress, and resilience. Nadine Burke Harris, MD Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is a Stanford-trained pediatrician and served as the Surgeon General of California between 2019-2022, the first person appointed to that position. She is known for linking adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress with harmful effects to health later in life. She is the founder and CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness, an initiative at the California Pacific Medical Center Bayview Child Health Center that seeks to create a clinical model that recognizes and effectively treats toxic stress in children. Her work pushes the health establishment to reexamine its relationship to social risk factors, and she advocates for medical interventions to counteract the damaging impact of stress. Her goal: to change the standard of pediatric practice, across demographics. She presented a TED Talk in February 2015, “How Childhood Trauma Affects Life Across a Lifetime.” Related Resources • Nadine Burke Harris TED Talk: “How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime” • NumberStory.org • ACEs Aware The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. You can see the video version of this episode of the "Trauma and Resilience" series on AdLit.org.

    26 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The Trauma and Resilience series explores topics related to trauma-informed teaching in schools. In this podcast series, educator and consultant Ricky Robertson, interviews guests who offer unique personal and professional insights on ways to support educators, students, and communities impacted by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma. The series examines the impact of ACEs and trauma and the power of human resilience while also exploring related topics such as the importance of culturally affirming teaching, ways to support immigrant and refugee students, and the journey toward post-traumatic growth. Series Host: Ricky Robertson Ricky Robertson is an educator, author, and consultant who has worked with alternative and traditional schools, serving students from grades preK-12 within urban, suburban, and semi-rural communities. He provides coaching, consultation, and multi-day professional development workshops to build systems of support for students impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma, and the educators who work with them. He has a background in Restorative Justice/Practices, culturally responsive teaching, LGBTQ+ student advocacy, and trauma-informed practices for teaching and behavior management. He is the co-author of Building Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach. The Trauma and Resilience series was made possible by a partnership between the National Education Association (NEA) and WETA. The video version of this podcast is available on AdLit.org at https://www.adlit.org/trauma-and-teaching.

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