Building a Trauma-Informed Restorative School: Skills and Approaches for Improving Culture and Behavior

Joe Brummer

Dec 2020 · Jessica Kingsley Publishers

About this ebook

Covering both theory and practice, this betselling guide provides educators with everything you need to know about developing restorative and trauma-informed practices within your setting.

Part 1 addresses the theory and philosophy of restorative approaches, and of trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive schools. Part 2 outlines the five restorative skills (mindfulness, honest expression, empathy, the art of asking questions and the art of requests). It shows you what these look like in practice - including using circles, respect agreements and restorative dialogue - and how to implement them. Every strategy is clearly explained and adapted to be appropriate for children and adults who have experienced trauma.

Designed to be adapted for different school settings and their particular challenges, this groundbreaking guide provides you with a trusted roadmap for successfully introducing restorative trauma-informed practice.

About the author

Joe Brummer has been the victim of two separate violent anti-gay related hate crimes and what began as a personal healing response to the trauma he has transformed into professional involvement in the field of community and restorative justice. Since 2006, Joe has actively been working with schools and NGOs in multiple states to share Nonviolent Communication, implement peer mediation programs, and school-wide restorative practices. In 2017, he completed a six-year term on the board of directors for the National Association for Community Mediation where he helped lead the overhaul of employee review strategies to be more restorative. He presented on Conflict and Peace Building in 2012 and 2013 for the Annual International Leadership Training Programme: A Global Intergenerational Forum sponsored by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair & Institute of Comparative Human Rights at the University of Connecticut. Joe has been an invited presenter on trauma-informed restorative practices at the last three Annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conferences hosted by the Trauma and Attachment Network. From 2010 until 2014, Joe was the associate director of a community mediation center in Connecticut where he provided school-based mediation programs, mediation for the Juvenile Review Boards, oversaw adolescent and adult criminal mediation/dialogue programs that involved victim/offender and offender/offender dialogues, and provided training in Nonviolent Communication, trauma-informed schools, and restorative justice. Since 2015, he has worked as an independent consultant to schools and school districts developing trauma-informed approaches to restorative practice in multiple locations throughout the United States.