Lesson Plan
Camp Care: Trauma-Informed
Staff will understand the core principles of trauma-informed care and identify practical strategies to apply them in a camp setting to foster a safe, supportive, and elevated care environment for all campers.
Understanding trauma-informed care is crucial for all camp staff to create a truly safe and inclusive environment and elevate the standard of care. It helps staff respond effectively to challenging behaviors, build trust, and support the well-being and growth of every camper, aligning with best practices for camp health.
Audience
Summer Camp Staff
Time
20 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, visual aids, and practical activity.
Materials
Camp Care: Trauma-Informed Slide Deck, Trauma-Informed Camp Scenario Worksheet, and What Would You Do? Game
Prep
Review Materials & Set Up
15 minutes
- Review the Camp Care: Trauma-Informed Slide Deck for content and flow.
- Print copies of the Trauma-Informed Camp Scenario Worksheet for each staff member or group.
- Prepare the 'What Would You Do?' Game cards/prompts.
- Ensure projector and screen are working for the slide deck presentation.
- Arrange seating to facilitate small group discussions, if applicable.
- Consider any specific camp policies or resources related to camper well-being to integrate into the discussion, emphasizing how they contribute to elevating care.
Step 1
Introduction: What is Trauma-Informed Care?
5 minutes
- Begin with a welcoming statement and introduce the topic: "Creating a Safe Space: Understanding Trauma-Informed Care at Camp for Elevated Care."
- Use Slide Deck (Slides 1-2) to define trauma and introduce the concept of trauma-informed care.
- Ask staff: "What comes to mind when you hear 'trauma-informed'? Why do you think this is important at camp, and how does it help us elevate our care?"
- Emphasize that it's about shifting perspective from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?"
Step 2
The 6 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
7 minutes
- Present the 6 core principles using Slide Deck (Slides 3-9):
- Safety
- Trustworthiness & Transparency
- Peer Support
- Collaboration & Mutuality
- Empowerment, Voice, & Choice
- Cultural, Historical, & Gender Issues
- For each principle, briefly explain it and ask staff for a quick example of how it might look at camp to elevate care.
- Facilitate a brief discussion on how these principles resonate with their experiences or expectations at camp and contribute to a higher standard of care.
Step 3
Applying Principles: Scenario Practice
6 minutes
- Distribute the Trauma-Informed Camp Scenario Worksheet.
- Explain that staff will work in pairs or small groups to discuss a scenario and apply the principles to elevate care.
- Guide them through one scenario using the Worksheet, encouraging them to identify which principles are most relevant.
- Bring the groups back together for a quick share-out of their strategies and reasoning.
- Transition to the 'What Would You Do?' Game for a more interactive application.
Step 4
Interactive Application: What Would You Do? Game
10 minutes
- Introduce the 'What Would You Do?' Game as a fun way to practice applying trauma-informed responses to elevate care.
- Explain the rules: Present a scenario, and staff discuss or write down a trauma-informed response.
- Facilitate a few rounds of the game, encouraging varied responses and discussion.
- Provide constructive feedback and reinforce correct applications of principles that lead to elevated care.
Step 5
Conclusion & Takeaways
2 minutes
- Reiterate the main goal: creating a safe, predictable, and nurturing environment that truly elevates care for all campers.
- Emphasize that trauma-informed care is an ongoing learning process and a commitment to continuous improvement in camper well-being.
- Encourage staff to approach campers with empathy, curiosity, and a commitment to understanding their experiences to elevate care.
- Answer any final questions and provide contact information for further support/resources, highlighting that this aligns with the Alliance for Camp Health's best practices for elevated care.
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Slide Deck
Camp Care: Trauma-Informed
Creating a Safe Space for Every Camper
Understanding the 'Why' Behind Behaviors & Elevating Our Care
Welcome staff and introduce the session. Explain the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment at camp and how trauma-informed care helps elevate our overall care.
What is Trauma?
More than just a 'bad experience'
- Emotional response to a terrible event.
- Can be a single event, or ongoing/repeated experiences.
- Affects how people think, feel, and behave.
- It's subjective! What's traumatic for one might not be for another.
Define trauma in a simple, accessible way. Explain that trauma can manifest in many forms and is not always obvious. Emphasize that understanding this helps us elevate our response.
A Shift in Perspective
Instead of asking:
"What's wrong with you?"
Let's ask:
"What happened to you?"
Introduce the fundamental shift in perspective that trauma-informed care promotes. This is a crucial concept for elevating how we interact with campers.
The 6 Principles: 1. Safety
Physical & Emotional Security
- Creating a physically and psychologically safe environment.
- Predictability and clear boundaries.
- Recognizing and addressing microaggressions or bullying.
- Ask: How can we ensure campers feel safe with us and with each other? This is key to elevating care.
Explain the first principle: Safety. Discuss both physical and emotional safety in the camp context, linking it to providing elevated care. Ask staff how they can ensure campers feel safe.
The 6 Principles: 2. Trustworthiness & Transparency
Honesty, Clarity, & Consistency
- Making decisions with transparency.
- Maintaining clear and consistent expectations and boundaries.
- Honoring commitments.
- Ask: How can we show campers they can trust us, thereby elevating our care standards?
Explain trustworthiness and transparency. How can staff build trust with campers and be clear about expectations to elevate care?
The 6 Principles: 3. Peer Support
Mutual Help & Shared Experiences
- Utilizing support from others with similar experiences.
- Building a sense of community.
- Encouraging positive peer interactions.
- Ask: How can we help campers connect and support one another positively to elevate their experience?
Discuss the importance of peer support. How can campers support each other, and how can staff facilitate this to elevate care and a sense of community?
The 6 Principles: 4. Collaboration & Mutuality
Working Together
- Partnering with campers in decision-making.
- Sharing power and responsibility.
- Respecting individual roles and contributions.
- Ask: How can we empower campers to be part of the solution, elevating their sense of ownership?
Explain collaboration and mutuality. How can staff work with campers, rather than just telling them what to do, to ensure elevated care and shared responsibility?
The 6 Principles: 5. Empowerment, Voice, & Choice
Strength-Based Approach
- Highlighting individual strengths.
- Giving campers choices when appropriate.
- Supporting campers in expressing themselves.
- Ask: How can we help campers feel strong and heard, which is essential for elevated care?
Emphasize empowerment, voice, and choice. How can staff give campers agency and a say in their camp experience, truly elevating their individual journey?
The 6 Principles: 6. Cultural, Historical, & Gender Issues
Recognizing & Responding to Diversity
- Actively moving past stereotypes.
- Incorporating diverse perspectives.
- Addressing historical trauma and cultural biases.
- Being sensitive to gender identity and expression.
- Ask: How can we make sure our camp celebrates all identities and backgrounds, thereby elevating care for everyone?
Discuss the importance of cultural competence and addressing historical and gender biases. This requires sensitivity and is fundamental to elevating care for all campers.
Bringing it all Together: Elevating Care
Creating a Camp of Belonging
- Trauma-informed care is about every interaction.
- It helps all campers feel safe, respected, and ready to thrive.
- Small actions make a big difference in elevating our care!
Thank you for making Camp a safe place for everyone and elevating our care!
Conclude by reiterating the main message and encouraging staff to practice these principles daily to achieve an elevated standard of care, consistent with the Alliance for Camp Health. This is about continuous improvement.
Worksheet
Trauma-Informed Camp Scenario Worksheet
Instructions: Read each scenario below. In your groups, discuss how you would respond using the 6 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care to Elevate Care at camp. Identify which principles are most relevant to your response. Remember to focus on "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?"
Scenario 1: Sudden Noise
During an outdoor activity, a large tree branch unexpectedly falls with a loud crash nearby. Most campers are startled, but one camper, Alex, immediately drops to the ground, covers their head, and begins to tremble, unable to respond when a counselor tries to comfort them.
Discussion Questions:
- What trauma-informed principles are most relevant here for elevating care?
- How would you approach Alex in this moment? What specific actions would you take to ensure elevated care?
- What might be happening for Alex internally, and how does understanding this help us elevate our response?
Scenario 2: Attention-Seeking Behavior
Camper Sam frequently interrupts activities, makes loud noises, and struggles to follow instructions, often causing disruptions for other campers. When corrected, Sam sometimes becomes defiant or shuts down completely.
Discussion Questions:
- What trauma-informed principles are most relevant here for elevating care?
- How would you respond to Sam's disruptive behavior in a trauma-informed way that elevates care?
- What might be the underlying needs or experiences contributing to Sam's behavior, and how can we address them to elevate his experience?
Scenario 3: Feeling Different
During a sharing circle, camper Maya mentions feeling different from other campers because her family celebrates a holiday that no one else at camp seems to know about. She seems quiet and a bit withdrawn for the rest of the day.
Discussion Questions:
- What trauma-informed principles are most relevant here for elevating care?
- How would you follow up with Maya to make her feel included and valued, demonstrating elevated care?
- What actions could the camp staff take to proactively ensure all cultural backgrounds are recognized and celebrated, thereby elevating care for all campers?
Game
What Would You Do? Trauma-Informed Camp Edition - Elevating Care
Instructions: This is a quick-fire scenario game! For each situation, discuss or quickly write down how you would respond using a trauma-informed lens, with the goal of Elevating Care at camp. Focus on applying the 6 Principles and shifting your perspective from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?"
Scenario Card 1: Homesickness or Something More?
A camper named Chloe, who has seemed fine for the first few days, suddenly refuses to participate in a group activity, sits alone, and repeatedly says, "I want to go home." When you try to talk to her, she just pulls her knees to her chest.
What would you do to elevate care for Chloe?
Scenario Card 2: The Lost Item
During cabin cleanup, a camper, David, discovers his favorite stuffed animal is missing. He immediately becomes very agitated, accuses another camper of stealing it, and starts yelling, even though the other camper denies it.
What would you do to elevate care in this situation?
Scenario Card 3: Avoiding Eye Contact
When you give instructions to your group, you notice a camper, Emily, consistently avoids eye contact, looks down at her feet, and seems hesitant to speak when asked a direct question. She participates when prompted but never initiates.
What would you do to elevate care for Emily?
Scenario Card 4: Bedtime Fears
At bedtime, a camper, Frank, begins to cry and says he's scared of the dark and doesn't want to be alone in his bunk. He insists on keeping a light on, which is against cabin rules.
What would you do to elevate care for Frank?
Scenario Card 5: Physical Roughhousing
You observe two campers engaging in very rough physical play, which starts to look aggressive. One camper, Grace, is laughing loudly, but the other, Henry, seems increasingly uncomfortable and tries to pull away.
What would you do to elevate care for both campers?