When is physical  restraint justified in a school?

When is physical  restraint justified in a school?

The recent court case concerning the use of restraint in a Northern Territory school reminded me of the need for criteria to determine the justification for a restraint.. The use of physical restraint in schools exposes both staff and students to significant risk. For...
Let’s stop blaming schools for ‘soft suspensions’!

Let’s stop blaming schools for ‘soft suspensions’!

A recent Sunday Age article argues that ‘soft suspensions’ contributes  to youth crime or at least inhibiting rehabilitation of young offenders.  In this post I want to look at the reasons for soft suspensions are occurring and what we can do to reduce...
Can you fake empathy?

Can you fake empathy?

I was recently conducting a trauma informed training program for teaching staff at a Special Assistance School. Clearly empathy is a key skill when working with traumatised young people. A participant asked: ‘can you fake empathy?’ What a great question! Like any a...
The ‘spun glass theory’ of Trauma

The ‘spun glass theory’ of Trauma

Is the trauma informed care (TIC) causing us to underestimate the resilience of our clients? Paul Meehl Paul Meehl, probably one of the most influential psychologists of the last century, would probably agree. He is famous, amongst many other things, for his belief...