Document Type
Article
Abstract
Introduction: Health professions students frequently encounter academic, professional, and personal stressors that may affect their learning, engagement, and well-being. Trauma-informed teaching has emerged as an educational approach designed to create supportive learning environments characterized by safety, trust, transparency, and learner-centered practices.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of trauma-informed teaching practices implemented in undergraduate and graduate health professions courses and identify the specific instructional strategies students found most meaningful and supportive.
Methods: A mixed-methods educational research design using a practice-based case study approach was used. Undergraduate and graduate students who completed courses taught by a trauma-informed educator during the previous 2 academic years were invited to complete an anonymous survey. The survey included demographic items, Likert-type questions, retrospective comparison items, and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.
Results: Thirty-two students completed the survey. Participants reported highly favorable perceptions of trauma-informed teaching practices. All respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they felt respected by the instructor, could ask questions without fear of judgment, and perceived the course environment as supportive of learning and well-being. Overall, 93.8% of participants described their experience in courses taught using trauma-informed teaching practices as positive or very positive. Qualitative analysis identified themes related to instructor accessibility and approachability, transparency and clarity, human-centered flexibility, personalized feedback, psychological safety, trust, belonging, reduced stress and anxiety, increased confidence and self-efficacy, and professional growth. Students frequently identified trauma-informed syllabus statements, flexible late policies, personalized video feedback, responsive communication, detailed assignment guidance, and collaborative learning opportunities as meaningful contributors to their learning experiences.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that trauma-informed teaching may provide a practical framework for creating supportive and psychologically safe learning environments that promote learner success and well-being while maintaining clear academic expectations in health professions education.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.52519/ACEQI.26.2.2.a6
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Clark KR. Trauma-Informed Teaching and Psychological Safety in Health Professions Education. Advances in Cancer Education and Quality Improvement. 2026; 2(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.52519/ACEQI.26.2.2.a6.
