Date

11-13-2024

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Sarah Walsh

Keywords

communal trauma processing, intergenerational trauma, developmental trauma, psychoeducation in schools, communal trauma narration, communal meaning-making, communal healing, community-level resilience

Disciplines

Counseling | Education

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to analyze the lived experiences of K-12 teachers in Delaware County, PA to understand how they perceive the processing of student trauma that has been passed down through generations in the community. The theory guiding this study was Intergenerational Trauma (IT) as this study seeks to understand the perceptions and intentionality of the teachers working in a community impacted by trauma passed down through generations. Teachers elucidated their experiences and perspectives via interviews, participant journaling, and a focus group. The data collected was analyzed and common themes emerged including the importance of safety and security in the environment, the understanding of communication as an exchange and the process of negotiating and rebuilding the sense of self. These themes ultimately yield insight into the experience of teachers in the challenges they face working in this capacity, the methods of assistance used, and the benefits experienced in answering the research questions. Ultimately these themes reveal intentionality and alignment with effective trauma processing in the areas of preparing for trauma processing, components of trauma processing, and integration and consolidation and indicate potential growth through training and organizational efforts to address dysregulation through sequencing to more effectively facilitate student processing of IT.

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