What is it about?
This article offers a policy-focused guide on how schools can modify their policies and practices to be more supportive and less stressful for students, particularly those who've experienced trauma, by adopting a more understanding, consistent, and student-centered approach.
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Why is it important?
Young people are experiencing a mental health crisis driven by traumatic experiences, and since students spend so much time in schools, educational environments can either help or harm their mental well-being. The goal is to protect young people from trauma that can come from how the education system itself is structured, and to make sure schools don't become an additional source of trauma for students.
Perspectives
This article introduces the mental health community to the groundbreaking work of my co-author, Alex Shevrin Venet, who has elevated and explained the concept of equity-centered trauma-informed education and its implications for young people in the US.
Ruth Shim
University of California Davis
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Promoting Youth Mental Health Through Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Educational Initiatives in Schools, Psychiatric Services, October 2025, American Psychiatric Association,
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250126.
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