Session Outline

Students arrive at university with diverse life experiences that shape how they engage with learning and the wider academic community. For some, prior adversity or challenging circumstances may limit their capacity to participate effectively (Wells, 2023), leading to a perception that they are disengaged or disruptive (Henshaw, 2022). This can leave tutors feeling ill-equipped or uncertain about how to respond effectively (Nienke, 2025). Trauma-informed practice offers a framework for understanding behaviour without assuming a therapeutic role (McChesney, 2024).

This interactive workshop will explore how trauma-informed personal tutoring can move beyond deficit-based interpretations of behaviour and instead build psychological safety. By centring trust and relationships, tutors can strengthen students’ sense of belonging and reinforce that they matter (Cherry, 2025; Gilani & Thomas, 2025; Jones & Bell, 2025). Participants will be invited to consider how to balance support with appropriate challenge to enable growth and resilience (Bodfield & Culshaw, 2024), examine key principles of trauma-informed practice (SAMHSA, 2014; OHID, 2022), and discuss practical ways to embed them in personal tutoring.

The workshop will begin by exploring the concept of trauma and how it can manifest in educational settings, shaping students’ sense of belonging and mattering. Interactive activities will prompt participants to draw on their own tutoring experiences to reflect on how trauma may influence behaviour, learning, and engagement.

We will then examine how trauma-informed principles such as safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment and cultural awareness can be meaningfully applied within tutoring relationships. Through small-group discussion, attendees will identify what these principles might look like in practice and note potential barriers or tensions they may encounter.

Building on this foundation, the workshop will showcase a range of practical, trauma-informed approaches relevant to tutoring. Participants will reflect individually on strategies that resonate with their practice and then share insights with peers to develop realistic, context-sensitive ideas for change. In doing so, the workshop acknowledges that the application of trauma‑informed approaches is shaped by institutional structures and the limits of the personal tutoring role.

The session concludes by guiding participants to identify concrete next steps: a small change they can implement immediately, a longer-term shift they would like to make, and any support or training they may need. Resources will be shared, with opportunities for final questions and discussion.

Learning Outcomes

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