| Presentation Proposal - NACADA Annual Conference |
| Presentation Info and Handouts |
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Code=193
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Conference Year:
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2026
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Session #:
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()
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Title:
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First Line of Defense: Practical Strategies for Trauma-Informed Advising |
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Lead Presenter:
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Taylor Gnagi |
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Date:
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December 31, 1969 Time: 6:00 pm - 6:00 pm |
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Room:
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Abstract:
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As advisors, students frequently reveal the traumatic events of their lives to us, and it can feel overwhelming to hear those traumatic stories. Without professional licensure in mental health services, what should advisors do? During this presentation, participants will learn the basics of how trauma impacts the brain's stress response system, how to recognize signs of a student in distress, and person-centered methods for advising. Advisors will participate in interactive activities that grow their skillset to create an empathetic, safe, and trustworthy advising environment for students in mental distress.
Together, advisors will learn and practice conversational strategies such as validation, parts language, externalization, scaling questions, and normalizing to become more comfortable with having difficult conversations with students about mental health. In addition, participants will learn strategies to make effective referrals to mental health resources. Finally, advisors will complete the Professional Quality of Life assessment to identify their own levels of compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress and will consider ways to improve their personal and professional wellness.
This pre-conference workshop is ideal for advisors who desire to deepen their understanding of trauma and its impact on students, while learning powerful conversational techniques to better empathize with students in distress. Practical strategies will be shared for further developing a trauma-informed, person-centered advising approach, along with tools for personal wellness, effective referrals, and maintaining boundaries in your work. |
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Handouts
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Note: Handouts (if offered for this session) are accessible via the conference app. |
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