The Brain and Trauma

Course Description

Course Description: When a child experiences a traumatic event or is living in chronic stress, these events can significantly impact their brain development. Some children actually freeze their brain development at the age of the event while others might develop health issues later in life. It has been proven that trauma and chronic stress can dramatically impact a young developing brain. As teachers, we have seen evidence of this in our classrooms more and more.
In this course, we will take a deep dive into different structures of the brain, their purposes and how they are impacted. Students will learn exactly what is happening within the brain pathways as these traumatic events are happening and what is happening when they are triggered.

This course is part of a five-course series that can lead to a Certificate in Trauma Informed Practices.

Audience: All those working in a school setting who hold a Bachelor’s Degree

Register Now!

Session Information

Oct 4 - Nov 14 2026

Times: First synchronous meeting will be the first Monday of class at 3:30 for 2 hours. The subsequent date will be set at that time based on group availability.
Format: Remote Hybrid (fully online with some scheduled meeting times)

Instructors

Instructor

Ashley Short, M.A.Ed.

Additional Content Area

Course Goals:
• Students will leave this class with a clear understanding of the functions of the brain
• Students will be able to apply the learned knowledge and reflect on how this impacts
• the students in their classroom
• Students will articulate clearly through examples in their classroom, case studies,
• podcasts, books and articles the impact of trauma on the brain

Course Objectives:
• Students will be able to label main parts of the brain and state what their functions are
• Students will discuss how these part of the brain work together
• Students will be able to identify how trauma impacts the brain
• Students will be create a list of examples on what this might look like in your classroom
• Students will be able to reflect on a case study and provide examples of how trauma impacts the brain

Required Readings/Resources: (required resources not included in cost of course)

Big Think. (2023, November 22). How the body keeps the score on trauma | Bessel van der Kolk for Big Think+. Youtu.be. https://youtu.be/iTefkqYQz8g?si=EA4vq7HrZGQ5AclL

Brittanica. (2025). The Human Brain Quiz | Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/quiz/the-human-brain

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 6). About the CDC-Kaiser ACE Study. Www.cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, October 8). About adverse childhood experiences. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html

Cooper, C. (2022, July 12). Brain Trivia Quiz: Basic Anatomy. Www.brainfacts.org. https://www.brainfacts.org/brain-anatomy-and-function/anatomy/2022/brain-trivia-quiz-basic-anatomy-071222

CreativeCommons. (2025). Quiz: Brain Anatomy and Physiology. Biologycorner.com. https://biologycorner.com/quiz/quiz_brain.html

De Bellis, M. D., & Zisk, A. (2014). The Biological Effects of Childhood Trauma. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23(2), 185–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2014.01.002

Hadad, O. (2025, April 22). Podcast Structure: How to Easily Create One + Templates & Expert Guide. Riverside.com; Riverside. https://riverside.com/blog/podcast-structure

Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2022, April 20). Education Now | Navigating Trauma — for Teachers and Learners. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4pWFKRxb5U

Keep Indiana Learning. (2023, January 19). 10 Strategies for Building a More Trauma-Informed Classroom. Youtu.be. https://youtu.be/MAjlmYiBAy4?si=9JfNm5_pFfy6HvVy

medXclusive Learning. (2016, September 22). Human Brain: Major Structures and their Functions. Youtu.be. https://youtu.be/EeE7Fpg061I?si=i-11kKeR4G_9PXLS

Miller, C. (2025, June 5). How trauma affects kids in school. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/how-trauma-affects-kids-school/

NCTSN. (2018, October 3). Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. https://www.nctsn.org/resources/child-trauma-toolkit-educators

ProProfsQuizzes. (2024, August 22). Parts Of The Brain And Their Functions Quiz. ProProfs. https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=brain-parts-functions-final-exam-practice

PurposeGames. (2025). Brain Structures and Functions Quiz. PurposeGames.com. https://www.purposegames.com/game/brain-structures-and-functions

Robbins, M. (2023, January 23). 3 Proven Methods to Heal Trauma and Rewire Your Nervous System. Youtu.be. https://youtu.be/etmtcooHY_g?si=5VRff2agUdFP1TeZ

Starecheski, L. (2015). Take the ACE quiz — and learn what it does and doesn’t mean. Npr.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean

Teaching Channel. (2024). De-Escalation Strategies from a Trauma-Informed Lens. https://www.teachingchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/K12-De-escalation-strategies-from-a-trauma-informed-lens-downloadable.pdf

TED. (2020, March 3). How teachers can help students navigate trauma | Lisa Godwin. Youtu.be. https://youtu.be/GX9woZi0HUY?si=c06HwJxJu8Vxro2w

van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score : Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking. https://ia601604.us.archive.org/35/items/the-body-keeps-the-score-pdf/The-Body-Keeps-the-Score-PDF.pdf

Winfrey, O. (2021). What Happened to You? Pan Macmillan.

Semester

Course Number

Instructor

Location

Dates

Credits

Tuition

Course Description

Session Information

Instructors

Ashley Short, M.A.Ed.

Additional Content Area

Contact the Center for Schools Team

Contact Us