Recognizing Childhood Trauma Signals
Staff who can identify the behavioral and emotional indicators of trauma rather than misreading them as defiance or disinterest.
For Schools, Districts & Educators
School Staff & Educator Training for Trauma-Informed Classrooms
Practical tools for the classroom, not just the textbook.
A student shuts down every time a worksheet gets handed out and no one on staff knows why. A teacher misreads a stress response as defiance and a small moment turns into a bigger one. A counselor is stretched across three campuses and can't reach every student who needs her. Educators are often the first adults to see the effects of trauma in a child's life, and they rarely receive real training for it. Open Arms Initiative equips teachers, counselors, and school administration with practical, trauma-informed classroom strategies that turn schools into safer, steadier places to learn.
Built for K-12 Classrooms
For Teachers, Counselors & Admin
Supports Staff Well-Being Too
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Built for K-12 Schools
Licensed Clinical Expertise
For Every Role on Campus
Oklahoma City & Beyond
Overview
When Classrooms Carry More Than Curriculum
Teachers spend more waking hours with many students than anyone outside their own home. That makes classrooms one of the first places the effects of trauma become visible, in shutdowns, outbursts, disengagement, or behavior that looks like defiance but is really a stress response. Most educators were trained to teach a subject, not to read trauma, and they're left to figure it out in real time, alone, in front of thirty kids.
We provide practical tools to turn classrooms into safe learning havens. This training helps teachers, counselors, and administrators recognize the signals, de-escalate difficult moments without damaging trust, and build classroom environments where students who've experienced trauma can actually learn.
Because supporting students well starts with supporting the adults doing the work, every session also addresses educator stress and self-care, so staff have the capacity to keep showing up for their students day after day.
Recognizing childhood trauma signals in classroom behavior
Classroom de-escalation methods that preserve trust
Educator self-care and stress management strategies
Fostering supportive, predictable learning environments
What's Included
What This Training Gives Your School
Built around the real pace and pressure of a school day, not a generic staff-meeting slideshow.
Classroom De-Escalation Methods
Practical strategies for calming difficult moments in the moment, without damaging the relationship or losing the rest of the class.
Educator Self-Care & Stress Management
Tools for managing the emotional weight of the work so burnout and turnover don't take your best staff away from students.
Fostering Supportive Learning Environments
A shared, campus-wide approach to building classrooms and school cultures where every student feels safe enough to learn.
Who This Training Is For
Classroom Teachers
General and special education teachers navigating behavior every single day.
School Counselors & Social Workers
Staff already doing the emotional heavy lifting across an entire campus.
Principals & Administrators
Leaders shaping school-wide discipline policy and staff culture.
Paraprofessionals & Aides
The staff working most closely with students who need extra support.
Front-Office & Support Staff
Often the first adult a struggling student or parent encounters.
Districts & PD Coordinators
Training that scales across multiple campuses and in-service days.
Every Session Starts With Your Campus
An elementary school managing a student in acute crisis needs something different than a high school building a proactive, campus-wide approach to student wellness. The first conversation is about who's in your building, what you're already seeing in classrooms, and what your staff needs most, not a one-size-fits-all in-service slideshow.
Request Training InfoWe listen to your school's specific needs first.
We fit into your PD calendar, not the other way around.
We build sessions around every role on your campus.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can't find your answer here? Reach out directly and we'll respond to whatever's on your mind.
Ask a QuestionIt works well for anyone on campus, classroom teachers, counselors, administrators, front-office staff, paraprofessionals, coaches, and bus drivers. Trauma shows up across every part of a school day, so sessions are built to be useful across roles.
Tell Us About Your School
Whatever your staff or students are navigating right now, the first step is just telling us about it.