Presenter(s)

• Eliah Anderson, Student, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
• Linnea Kalchos, Student, University of British Columbia - Vancouver
• Teija Yli-Renko, Student, University of British Columbia - Vancouver

Abstract

Youth in rural areas experience high rates of trauma exposure yet few studies have explored specific mental health interventions for this population (James et al., 2017). Schools have long been identified as an ideal location to provide mental health supports (Rones & Hoagwood, 2000) and trauma-specific supports have been shown as an effective treatment for a range of trauma-related symptoms within the school setting (Nadeem et al., 2011). Students from rural communities have less access to mental health services (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2019) so that school-based, trauma-specific supports can be an important source of support for students who may not otherwise receive such care. This poster presents the results of a scoping literature review on trauma-informed practices in rural schools with a critical social justice lens developed by Sabnis & Proctor (2022). Findings suggest that many of the priorities of trauma supports in rural schools align with those of Critical School Psychology. Further integration of Critical School Psychology and school-based trauma-informed supports offers an opportunity to dismantle inequality in school systems that perpetuate the marginalization of minoritized student groups.