The Annie E. Casey Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Course 6: Introduction to Trauma

Par­tic­i­pants can use this online, inter­ac­tive course to explore what trau­ma is, how it shows up and why under­stand­ing its impact is crit­i­cal when work­ing with youth and fam­i­lies and set­ting out to trans­form youth jus­tice practices. 

This is the sixth course in the sev­en-part Juve­nile Pro­ba­tion Trans­for­ma­tion Train­ing Series. 

What You Will Gain From This Course 

🧠 Under­stand Trauma 

  • Learn the types, effects and behav­ioral signs of trauma.
  • Explore the ways that trau­ma shapes how youth expe­ri­ence time and safety.

🎯 Rec­og­nize and Respond With Intention 

  • Iden­ti­fy sit­u­a­tion­al and sen­so­ry trau­ma triggers.
  • Under­stand dis­par­i­ties in expo­sure and how trau­ma shows up in behavior.

🧩 Put Trau­ma-Respon­sive Prac­tices Into Action 

  • Test your instincts by dis­tin­guish­ing what helps and what harms in trau­ma-respon­sive work.
  • Reflect on real sce­nar­ios and prac­ti­cal respons­es ground­ed in aware­ness and care.

Explore the Course 

Defining the Types of Trauma

Defin­ing Types of Trauma 

Learn about dif­fer­ent types of trau­ma and test your under­stand­ing of them. 
Understanding Triggers

Under­stand­ing Trau­ma Triggers 

Explore real-life sce­nar­ios to see how trau­ma can influ­ence behav­ior. Reflect on how you might respond with greater aware­ness and care. 
Try It

Try It: What Would You Do? 

Test your instincts by sort­ing each prac­tice into what helps and what harms in trau­ma-respon­sive work. 
Meet the Peo­ple Behind the Course 
Lead Con­tribut­ing Experts 
Jeannette Bocanegra-Simon smiling Jean­nette Bocane­gra-Simon — Exec­u­tive Direc­tor, Jus­tice for Families
Sue Badeau Sue Badeau — Speak­er, Writer and Con­sul­tant in Child Trau­ma, Resilience, Self-Care, Child Wel­fare, Jus­tice, Policy
Design Team: Harley Con­sult­ing Group 
  • Lyn­nell John­son — Instruc­tion­al Designer
  • Tara Layne — Instruc­tion­al Designer
  • Annie Sal­sich — Consultant
  • Jacque­line Skapik — Consultant

Learn more about oth­er courses 

Get guid­ance on how to use the courses 

Ready to get started? 

Explore the full train­ing series and choose the mod­ules that fit your role and context. 

EXPLORE THE PRO­BA­TION TRANS­FOR­MA­TION TRAIN­ING SERIES > 
APPA

Earn 1.5 APPA Con­tact Hours

The Amer­i­can Pro­ba­tion and Parole Asso­ci­a­tion has approved this course for 1.5 con­tact hours. Indi­vid­u­als who com­plete this course may be eli­gi­ble for pro­fes­sion­al learn­ing or con­tact hours, depend­ing on the require­ments of their juris­dic­tion and role. Com­ple­tion cer­tifi­cates can be sub­mit­ted through the appro­pri­ate local process for cred­it consideration.