Schools should be ideal places for children who have faced trauma to process their experiences. Yet too often, school systems lack the infrastructure or training to support their most vulnerable students, according to a Rutgers researcher who argues that investing in school-based trauma counseling would yield long-term societal benefits.
“Trauma-inducing events are going to keep happening,” said Abigail Williams-Butler, a Rutgers assistant professor of social work and coauthor of a study published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. “The question is what are we going to do about it? One solution is to invest in trauma, grief and loss counseling within school systems.”
Several states are moving in this direction. New Jersey passed a law in 2024 requiring schools to include grief education in health classes, with similar efforts underway in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
A proposed California law was drafted by Cindy Liou, an immigration lawyer and director of legal strategy at OneAmerica, and Babe Kawaii Bogue, an assistant professor at San Jose State University. As lead authors of the study, they drew upon their expertise in creating legislative bill AB2366 that would increase the availability of trauma, grief and loss counselors in school districts throughout California. Though stalled during the pandemic, the bill can be amended and reconsidered in any state or territory.
Yet these efforts represent a fraction of what’s needed. Between 61% and 80% of adults report experiencing at least one adverse childhood experience – from abuse to neglect – before turning 18. To read the full story.