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

Runners feet in colorful sneakers

Set One Goal Now for a Safer School Year

I used to tell learners and families that our school was a safe place. I stopped saying that, though, because it wasn’t true. No institution or system can guarantee safety because harmful things happen in every learning environment. I’ll share one goal now you can set to make the new

June 9, 2026

Blurry light with purple background

Is it Disrespectful or Are They Just Angry?

I’ve encouraged educators to change the word disrespectful to dysregulated so we can safely address the nervous system needs driving big energy or a shut down of it within our classrooms. Injustice, racial trauma, and other harms should (and do) cause us, as humans, to be angry. Let’s unpack the

January 9, 2026

Elephant in an artistic collage by Iveta Vaicule

Don’t Forget—Working Memory Supports for Schools

Youth and adults have fluctuating capacities for working memory, which is why school personnel should always provide intentional supports. This includes supporting family caregivers. Learn several strategies in this post! Working Memory Defined We all experience stress, and even small amounts of stress can overload executive functions, including working memory.

October 13, 2025

From the Web