Ms Jen Alexander - Helping You Build Trauma-Sensitive Schools

#NoticeTheNeed #MeetTheNeed

Trauma-sensitive educators #NoticeTheNeed and #MeetTheNeed
within a school culture where relationships come first.

Our work as educators is with and for people who live in a world with both suffering and joy.

Publications by Ms. Jen

Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools
Supporting Staff and Students after COVID-19

Relationships First

Relationships between trauma-sensitive educators and students in the school community are marked by nurture, challenge, and a whole lot of boundaries.

Let's learn together

Inspiring you to breathe in care for self and breathe out care for others.

Welcome!

I’m glad you’re here. My name is Jen Alexander. As an experienced educator, trauma expert, author, and professional development facilitator, I believe that trauma-sensitive educators can make a positive difference in the lives of students, one relationship at a time. That’s why I’m a passionate leader in the movement to build trauma-sensitive schools. Known by children and adults alike as “Ms. Jen,” I love helping kids—and giving others what they need to help kids, too. Whether you’re an educator or community member who is committed to supporting all youth, I invite you to learn with me. Together, we can build supportive learning environments that help everyone feel safe, be connected, get regulated, and learn.

Meet Ms. Jen

Jen Alexander, M.A., NCC, SB-RPT

As a licensed special education teacher, professional school counselor, trauma expert, author, and leader in the movement to build trauma-sensitive schools, Ms. Jen has more than 20 years of experience providing support to young people and the educators who serve them.

In her current role as consultant and trainer, Ms. Jen shows educators what works and why when it comes to building trauma-sensitive learning environments. Within minutes of interacting with her, educators know they are learning from someone who understands the real struggles of everyday teaching and learning—and believe that change benefiting educators, students, and entire school communities is possible.

Dive In

Connect with Ms. Jen through a free initial consultation to discover your next step in a building a trauma-sensitive environment.

Explore events and trainings that will help everyone feel safe and be ready to learn.

Make a difference with support and coaching from Ms. Jen’s team.

“Helping one another be safe and feel safe helps everyone learn.”

“In trauma-sensitive schools, what trauma-sensitive educators do matters, but how we do what we do matters more.”

“There are no quick fixes. If those existed, good educators would have landed on them by now.”

“Strive to be both tender and strong at the very same time.”

“Educators must be well to do this work well.”

“I want you to take good care of yourself because you matter. If that feels too hard, then do it for those who count on you.”

“You cannot be a trauma-sensitive educator without fighting for social justice, equity, and inclusion.”

What others are saying...

“Ms. Jen and her team are absolutely amazing. They met with us to develop and customize the PD to meet the needs of our teachers and students. They personalized the presentation and content to not only address our needs but to also emphasize the initiatives we are implementing to align building trauma sensitive schools with everything else we are doing.”

“Our school has been seeing more and more kids coming to us with trauma and that trauma manifesting itself in different ways. We’ve been dealing with a lot more extreme behaviors as a result of that trauma. We knew quickly that we needed help and resources not just for the kids, but for our teachers.”

“I have noticed our staff being much more empathetic to kids dealing with traumatic issues that manifest in different ways. We’ve become more attuned as a school to identifying and providing resources to kids to help them deal with stress.”

Ms. Jen gave staff a framework for discussion and the conceptualization of trauma. They really liked “The River of Feelings” and teachers want to do the lessons in our PRIDE classes.”

“I can't say enough about Jen and her team. They worked with us to develop a year long partnership where our needs were fully addressed. This required bringing in another subject matter expert to take on the cultural competency components.”

“Ms. Jen and the team experience was so professional and well-organized that I won't hesitate to recommend them to other school leaders.”

“We have had an influx in tragic situations from suicides to unexpected deaths. Jen's willingness to build trauma efficacy in our administrators and school counselors was just what the doctor ordered. Many of our school counselors were able to have the much-needed support for developing a comprehensive school counseling program."

In Ms. Jen’s training seminars, educators explore how to both prevent trauma and respond sensitively to folks who have experienced too much stress.

New on the Blog

Multi-colored hearts purchased from iStock

Relationships First: How to Improve Schoolwide Trauma-Sensitivity

Everyone plays an important role in improving trauma-sensitive practices schoolwide. It all starts with establishing a relationships-first culture. Learn how noncertified faculty can partner with certified educators to create safe, support learning environments for youth of all ages in Ms. Jen’s new free guide! Dear Reader, I’m Jen Alexander–an experienced

February 11, 2025

Image of The Thinker from iStock

After a Student Flips Their Lid: Trauma-Sensitive Steps for Groups

Trauma-sensitive practices improve regulation for classrooms and schools. Still, youth will escalate sometimes. In this post, Ms. Jen shares a classroom sequence that can help everyone get regulated and ready to learn after a student flips their lid. Even if you’ve taught your students about brain states, you’re using hand

February 9, 2025

Human brains with neurons lit up

If Not a Sticker Chart, Then What? Trauma-Sensitivity is Science

An earlier version of this article about addressing big behaviors at school was published in the Attachment & Trauma Network’s December (2015) Therapeutic Parenting Journal. Here’s an updated version. Big behaviors at school—every school’s got ’em. Maybe you’ve learned about adverse childhood experiences or been told that healthy relationships matter.

January 8, 2025

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