How to Approach Trauma in the Classroom

Michelle Roberts is a psychologist, teacher and child disaster consultant.

Starting her teaching career at a school impacted directly by the Ash Wednesday bushfires, Michelle has continued to work in the field of children, schools, emergencies, critical incidents and trauma.

In 2010 Michelle was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to explore school-based trauma mitigation and intervention strategies.

Michelle is the current Director and a founding member of The Australian Child & Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network (ACATLGN) based at the Australia National University.
Michelle has responded to disasters occurring both nationally and internationally across a range of events, working with both government and non-government agencies and has provided support, and participated in research, delivering training, and advice in relation to children and young people, trauma, adversity and disasters with Departments of Education, Headspace, Red Cross and UNICEF, Emerging Minds, University of Melbourne and the Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience.

Jarryd Bendall comes from a long line of teachers, which is why he initially avoided this calling. Jarryd taught in primary school settings for a number of years, before combining his love for writing and education at an Education Specialist role with Cool.org. This role sees him as a bridge between knowledgeable industry experts and classroom teachers, bringing excellence into the classroom and challenging the average curriculum with innovative and effective ideas.

Jarryd will be on hand to answer any questions and help you navigate this course.