Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1190776
flood, an earthquake, or one of the destructive wildfires that have ravaged California for the past five years, the trauma from the experience lasts much longer than the disaster itself. Trauma lives in the nervous system, not in the event, according to Fresno County school psychol- ogist Deni Dayan. It's like being in a car accident — the wreck is only for a moment, but it changes the way the nervous system reacts to being in a car every time after. For students and educators impacted by disasters, the simple act of going to school or work can cause trau- matic responses. "ere is no healing in trauma unless you feel safe in your body," Dayan says. After the devastating Woolsey Fire chased students and school staff from their homes in 2018, Malibu High School psychologist Juliette Boewe compiled informa- tion to prepare district teachers and staff on what to expect from students when they returned to school, and practices to support them. Disasters can cause a wide variety of traumatic responses, from guilt, fear and worry to sadness, anger and shock, she says. While there is no normal reaction to loss and no timeline for recovery, Charred pines are constant reminders of the destruction the Camp Fire wrought on Butte County communities, like Magalia. Annie Finney's students at Paradise Children's Community Charter School show inspiring resilience to ongoing trauma from the fire. changes in emotions and behaviors should be expected to last for at least six weeks. Santa Monica High School mental health counseling coordinator Shuli Lotan, a member of Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association, was part of the support team Boewe assembled to help the several thousand affected students, educators and community mem- bers when school resumed after the Woolsey Fire. e team of school psychologists, counselors, mental health professionals and interns provided support to students and staff in "comfort rooms" at every school site, identified resources for those in need, and helped develop resiliency groups rooted in a trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy model, among many other approaches. "Everyone responds to trauma differently. We really have to keep our eyes open to be aware of what their needs are," Lotan says. "Trauma stays in our minds and bodies." While the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District had an emer- gency response plan, it wasn't rooted in the reality of the kind of mental health needs for students, staff and the community that a disas- ter like the Woolsey Fire would create, Boewe says. "We didn't shy away. We kept teaching them." —Annie Finney, Children's Community Charter School Teachers Association 31 D E C E M B E R 2 019 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0