Becoming Trauma Informed in Adult Education

This participatory webinar explores the impact that personal and community trauma has on adult learners’ ability to engage and persist, and then dives into strategies anyone can use to become more trauma-informed in educational settings. Actionable strategies will arise from the following trauma-informed approaches: creating safe spaces, promoting learner agency, using learner strengths, developing program-wide approaches, educator self-care, and healthy boundary setting. We will engage in mindfulness practices, create shared understandings, and practice applying strategies to relevant adult education scenarios.

Dani Scherer (she / her) is the Curriculum and Professional Development Specialist at World Education Inc., and has worked in the field of adult education for over 13 years. Currently, she guides a team of consultants who build professional development opportunities for Massachusetts adult educators, and co-leads content curation and development of National College Transition Network’s Personal and Workplace Success Skills library. She has collaborated with Stacy Seward on professional development offerings on trauma-informed adult education for the past two years.

Stacy Seward (she, her, hers pronouns) holds a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Psychology and Counseling, and is an experienced clinician with expertise in trauma's effect on the brain. In addition, Stacy is a certified mediator and diversity professional (CDP) whose practice centers around the social and psychological dimensions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). She has collaborated with Dani to provide professional development for Massachusetts adult educators for the past two years.