TraumaTies Episode 4: Trauma & Education
Episode Summary
Dr. Mona Mittal sees her interest in trauma and human suffering as the result of her upbringing.
Having grown up in India, Dr. Mittal admits that despite its immense beauty, suffering was never far out of sight.
While pursuing her master’s in social work, she interned at a special unit within the police department that worked with women and children. It was both the hardships and human resilience she witnessed that led Dr. Mittal to pursue further study and get her PhD.
On this week’s episode of TraumaTies, brought to life by the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC) and hosted by Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg, Dr. Mittal discusses her journey to clinical research and teaching at University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, as well as the incredible work she does now with individuals and couples experiencing interpersonal violence.
“Mental health has often not been integrated in the field of public health really well, so this was my opportunity,” Dr. Mittal says of her decision to become a professor after years as a clinician.
“I have been at University of Maryland for eight years to really bring together my own expertise in mental health and trauma into the public health realm and make it a conversation, and figure out how to train both researchers and clinicians that are focused on the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.”
Featured Guest
Name: Dr. Mona Mittal
What she does: Dr. Mittal is a clinical researcher and associate professor of Family Science at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Her research focuses on individuals and couples who have experienced interpersonal violence, using a trauma informed lens to look at the mental, sexual, and reproductive health of survivors. As a professor, she teaches classes on trauma, addictions, family crises, and more.
Company: University of Maryland’s School of Public Health
Words of wisdom: “People are so strong, and with a little bit of help, they can really rebound and grow tremendously.”
Connect: LinkedIn
Key Points
Top takeaways from this episode
Academic institutions need trauma-informed training. Studies show that 52% to 96% of college students report having endured at least one significant trauma in their lives. As an associate professor with a clinical background in couple and family therapy, Dr. Mittal sees firsthand the need for mental health to be integrated into academia.
Making systemic change begins with people in power. Dr. Mittal discusses several free resources available to university systems, faculty, and staff that they can use to inform themselves and create better learning environments and teaching practices.
Trauma-informed training should be used in many different sectors. Whether it’s K-12, academia, hospitals, medical offices, etc., these types of training are crucial to understanding and dealing with people. They should be utilized in many different sectors so that the language surrounding trauma becomes more accessible.
Episode Highlights
[07:16] Trauma-informed classrooms: Dr. Mittal discusses how, historically, K-12 classrooms get more focus on trauma-informed understanding, but this should extend to collegiate students, of whom more than half report having experienced a trauma in their lives, impacting alcohol and drug use, mental health, and academic performance.
[13:02] Academic issues: A continuation of her call for trauma-informed higher education classrooms, Dr. Mittal addresses the traumatizing reality of academia itself. The system of academia, based on white supremacy, power, privilege, and patriarchy, is enough to cause trauma or reinforce previously experienced traumas.
[23:24] Creating the right space: In creating a trauma-informed higher education classroom, Dr. Mittal believes it needs to start with the faculty, staff, and university systems talking about the prevalence of trauma and adapting SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.
[28:49] The power of one: Studies show that it takes just one person reaching out and expressing care and concern for another person to have a great impact. People shouldn’t minimize their own power in making a difference.
[30:00] Free materials: Dr. Mittal offers some other resources for professionals to use when trying to implement more trauma-informed understanding in their work: International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
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Brought to you by Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.
Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, NVRDC seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.
NVRDC also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management, and legal services to victims of all crime types in Washington, DC. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.
Top quotes from the episode:
[04:40]Dr. Mittal: “I became aware of human suffering at an individual level and was being exposed to systems of oppression, particularly patriarchy-related issues. So, I really felt like what I was doing was not enough. I really became passionate about wanting to learn more. So, I knew that I had to learn more about traumatic stress.”
[26:46]Dr. Mittal: “I think how we talk to students is important. Instead of being reprimanding, we should express our concern in a different way. And how we choose our language can be extremely critical in how students feel engaged and want to be seen.”
[34:23]Dr. Mittal: “The more people doing these [trainings] for different sectors, the more powerful it will be. Real soon, we may not need to talk about these as unique trainings because, hopefully, this will become the language that people use a lot more in all sectors of life.”