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PBIS and Trauma Informed Education
Why combining these two approaches is potentially dangerous
PBIS and TIE are mutually exclusive
Yesterday I wrote PBIS is Just ABA with a Nicer Name, in which I debunked PBIS’ claim their programs improve student mental health. At the end of that piece, I began exploring the six principles of trauma-informed care. As a refresher, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s six principles of trauma-informed care are:
- safety
- trustworthiness and transparency;
- peer support;
- collaboration and mutuality;
- empowerment, voice, and choice; and
- cultural*, historic, and gender issues.
*(Under cultural considerations, it’s imperative to ensure race, neurodivergence, and disability are included).
PBIS and TIE are fundamentally incompatible
In a very important article on PBIS and trauma-informed education, Kim & Venet concluded PBIS and trauma-informed practices are fundamentally incompatible. Mixing trauma-informed education with PBIS is ultimately harmful for students, especially students of colour and disabled students. In practice…
