By Alan Elgin and Tony W. Cawthon
The book Cultivating Trauma-Informed Practice in Student Affairs (2024) by Tricia R. Shalka explores tools, skills, and information useful for student affairs professionals in supporting students who have experienced trauma. Shalka utilizes a variety of knowledge bases to present this information, drawing on trauma literature, the experiences of her research participants, her student affairs background, and her personal experience with trauma. Using a largely conversational tone, Shalka presents an approachable perspective on a somewhat uncomfortable topic that can become a useful addition to any student affairs practitioner’s toolkit.
The prologue describes the author’s experience of personal trauma while participating in a study abroad program in France. This honest and personal narrative introduces the reader to the topic of trauma and underscores the dichotomous nature of a traumatic experience: “terrifying and difficult” but also “enlightening,” especially if a student is appropriately supported after the event. In the introduction, Shalka shares the experiences of some of her research participants in order to illustrate the prevalence of trauma and the necessity of being trauma-informed.
Chapter 1 starts the deep dive into the topic of trauma by exploring the difficulty in defining what it is. Trauma is fundamentally a subjective experience; similar to words like leadership and supervision, if you asked 10 people for a definition, you would likely get 10 different responses. Rather than trying to create a singular definition, Shalka explores the components of a traumatic experience while still emphasizing that people will always be the experts of their own lived experience. Despite differences in individual reactions to traumatic events and whether or not the trauma is physical or psychological, the experience can impact all parts of a person’s being.
Chapter 2 relays the stories of students who have experienced trauma from both internal and external forces. Throughout the chapter, Shalka emphasizes that traumatic experiences are “complicated by silencing systems that operate at both the micro and macro levels” or social mechanisms that “convince us that the person harmed is the person at fault.” The chapter concludes with a discussion of the impact trauma has on relationships, sense of community and belonging, and environment.
Chapter 3 showcases trauma-informed practice by describing several models, including her own, which is specific to student affairs and is centered on six principles: It is holistic, power-conscious and anti-oppression, focused on relationships, committed to knowledge building, harm reducing, and focuses on wellness-centered decision making and practice.
In Chapter 4, Shalka begins the shift into putting trauma-informed practice into action by introducing ways of being, skills, attitudes, and knowledge bases that are helpful for implementing trauma-informed practice at a personal level. Most important, she recognizes the impact that supporting students who have experienced trauma can have on a practitioner and introduces several tactics for practicing self-care while doing such work.
Chapter 5 provides important information about how to support students who have experienced trauma, offering numerous practical tools and specific practices that can be implemented in a student affairs professional’s everyday interactions, while emphasizing the distinction between these practices and counseling. For Shalka, the foundational practices are “nurturing relationships, being present, addressing issues of safety and control, attending to the complications of disclosure, providing resources and support mindfully, and holding space for growth, resilience, and recuperation.”
Chapter 6 focuses on how to help student and paraprofessional staff support students experiencing trauma. Shalka reminds readers to be especially mindful of student staff, such as call center employees, who may not normally think about the need for this type of interaction, and she stresses the importance of support both before (staff training and education) and after (providing support for them in the aftermath).
Chapter 7 addresses how to scale practical actions to the organizational level by examining changes that can be made to better support students who have experienced trauma, with an emphasis on creating systems that focus on equity, wellness, and care. Inherent organizational barriers (institutional betrayal, discomfort-resistant leadership, and climates of risk management) can prevent these changes, but investing in the education of the campus community, focusing on trust, fostering institutional courage, and improving campus climates can do a great deal to strengthen support systems.
In Chapter 8, the author challenges readers to imagine what their work and systems can look like when they truly support students who have gone through traumatic experiences and sends out a call to action for the many students who are counting on campus professionals to do this work.
This book serves as a wonderful guide to becoming trauma informed in student affairs work, particularly for those working in college and university housing. It offers practical advice and outstanding suggestions for addressing responses to trauma. It is specifically designed to help those not already trained in counseling or psychology to feel more capable and confident in helping students get through a traumatic experience. As such, this would be a great book for housing staff to use in training all staff, not simply those in residence life; anyone working in housing (and other positions on campus) can benefit from the information offered. As the number of mental health issues increase and as they become less stigmatized, students who have experienced trauma will be able to look to housing staff and other student affairs professionals for full support. This book serves as an actionable step to ensure that campus professionals are prepared to adequately assist these students.
Alan Elgin is a graduate assistant for supplemental instruction and academic support at Clemson University in South Carolina. Tony W. Cawthon is an alumni distinguished professor at Clemson.