Checklist / tool

Karen Ray Costa’s Trauma-Aware Teaching Checklist

Karen Costa 

Karen Costa 

This checklist has been prepared for higher educators as a tool to reflect on their teaching and courses, regardless of modality.

You can access and share the checklist using this link: https://bit.ly/traumachecklist.

Karen describes the purpose of the checklist as follows:

This checklist has been prepared for higher educators as a tool to reflect on their teaching and courses, regardless of modality. The six principles of trauma-informed care developed by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) are a foundational concept in the trauma field. In this checklist, they are adapted to the field of education to assist teachers in creating more trauma-aware classrooms. For additional basics on trauma awareness, please view these slides: https://bit.ly/olctraumaslides.

The checklist covers the following topics:

  1. Safety
  2. Trustworthiness and Transparency
  3. Peer Support
  4. Collaboration and Mutality
  5. Empowerment (Voice) & Choice
  6. Cultural, Historical, & Gender Issues

It finishes with “Closing Thoughts on Creating a Simple and Sustainable Trauma-Aware Teaching Practice”.