How Trauma Affects Learning and Behaviour: Supporting Students After Trauma

Trauma can significantly affect a student’s emotional regulation, behaviour, and capacity to learn - often presenting challenges not only for the student but also for peers and educators.

This trauma-informed education masterclass explores how trauma manifests in classroom settings and how educators, alongside mental health professionals, can respond in ways that promote safety, learning, and wellbeing. Designed with both educational and mental health contexts in mind, this session bridges psychological theory with practical, classroom-ready strategies.

Teachers are frequently the first adults to respond following a student’s exposure to crisis or traumatic events. This video supports mental health professionals, school-based practitioners, and educators to better understand trauma-informed approaches that are developmentally appropriate, ethically grounded, and realistic within school environments. Viewers will gain insight into how trauma impacts emotional regulation, behaviour, and academic engagement, while learning when classroom-based support is sufficient - and when referral to specialised mental health services is essential.

For psychologists, counsellors, social workers, and allied professionals working with schools or children and adolescents, this masterclass offers valuable guidance on collaboration, role clarity, and supporting educators without overstepping clinical boundaries.

In this video, you’ll learn:
⭐ How different forms of trauma may present in students’ emotions, behaviours, and learning
⭐ Key indicators of trauma that inform classroom responses and instructional approaches
⭐ Practical trauma-informed strategies to create safe and supportive learning environments
⭐ De-escalation techniques that support emotional regulation and resilience
⭐ How to recognise when a student’s needs exceed classroom or school-based supports
⭐ Ways to collaborate effectively with families and mental health professionals to provide wraparound care

This video is ideal for:
⭐ Psychologists, counsellors, and psychotherapists
⭐ Social workers and mental health nurses
⭐ School wellbeing staff and allied health professionals
⭐ Educators, school leaders, and support staff
⭐ University students and trainees in mental health or education disciplines

This session is particularly relevant for professionals asking:
⭐ How does trauma affect students’ learning and behaviour at school?
⭐ What are trauma-informed practices educators can realistically use in classrooms?
⭐ When should teachers involve mental health professionals?
⭐ How can clinicians support schools without taking on an inappropriate clinical role?

The content aligns with trauma-informed, collaborative, and ethically responsible practice across education and mental health systems.

⭐ About the presenter:
Rachel Tomlinson is a Registered Psychologist with nearly 20 years’ experience working with children and families across diverse settings, including education, residential care, play therapy, parenting programs, women’s refuges, and torture and trauma counselling. She is the author of Teaching Kids to Be Kind and A Blue Kind of Day, internationally published books focused on empathy, compassion, and mental health in children. Rachel is a sought-after speaker, media contributor, and educator, regularly delivering workshops and lectures for teachers, university students, and professionals across Australia and internationally.

This masterclass invites viewers to reflect on trauma-informed practice, strengthen cross-disciplinary collaboration, and thoughtfully integrate these insights into educational and mental health work with children and young people.