Building a Community of Trauma-Sensitive Educators
Join a growing network of educators, counselors, and leaders dedicated to creating learning spaces rooted in compassion, equity, and understanding. Whether you’re ready to enroll, host a course in your school, or focus on early childhood education, there’s a pathway for you.
WHY CHOOSE THE LESLEY INSTITUTE FOR TRAUMA-SENSITIVITY (LIFTS)?
🧑🏫 Learn from experts | 💻 Flexible, online format | 💸 Affordable tuition
Trauma and Learning Certificate Overview
Complete a four-course sequence that explores how trauma affects learning and how schools can respond with compassion, structure, and equity.
1 | The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Overview
Explore how trauma impacts student learning and emotional wellbeing.
1 | The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Overview
Explore how trauma impacts student learning and emotional wellbeing.
1 | Classroom and Student Supports
Learn strategies to build safe and supportive classroom environments.
1 | The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Overview
Explore how trauma impacts student learning and emotional wellbeing.
1 | The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Overview
Explore how trauma impacts student learning and emotional wellbeing.
💻 Online | 🕓 Self-Paced + Live | 🕓Graduate-Level Credit
Take Your Next Step
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Course 1: The Impact of Trauma on Learning: An Overview
The Impact of Trauma on Learning: An Overview
Upcoming Session: Spring 2026
How trauma affects students’ academic and emotional development. -
Course 1: The Impact of Trauma on Learning: An Overview
The Impact of Trauma on Learning: An Overview
Upcoming Session: Spring 2026
How trauma affects students’ academic and emotional development. -
Course 2: The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Classroom and Student Supports
Classroom and Student Supports
Next Session: Spring 2026
Learn practical approaches to fostering connection and resilience.[Learn More →]
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Course 3: The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools
Full course dates: 10/27/25 – 12/15/25
Our fall virtual residency is underway, but check back here for Spring 2026 details!
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Course 4: The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Action Research and Seminar
Full course dates: 10/27/25 – 12/15/25
Our fall virtual residency is underway, but check back here for Spring 2026 details!
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The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Race, Equity, and Trauma
Full course dates: 10/27/25 – 12/15/25
Our fall virtual residency is underway, but check back here for Spring 2026 details!
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This course examines the impact of traumatic experience on student learning (both academic and social/emotional) and provides a structured approach to individual and school wide interventions. The biological, environmental, and sociocultural aspects of traumatic experience will be presented, and participants will analyze the effects of their work with students impacted by trauma on their own well being (secondary trauma).
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Trauma affects self regulation, social skills and a child’s sense of health and well being, along with interfering with more traditional academic skills that require language, memory and executive function. This course will address ways to promote these non-academic and academic competencies for students impacted by trauma, including which competencies can be incorporated into the learning flow (as they benefit all children) and which are best taught with an individual support plan. (Prerequisite: Course 1)
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This course is designed to expand knowledge of trauma, its impacts, and the process for building trauma sensitive environments through examination of the underlying change theory, processes, and tools needed to establish trauma sensitivity. Participants demonstrate their understanding by either developing a plan for guiding the creation of a trauma-sensitive school or conducting research grounded in trauma-informed inquiry. (Prerequisites: Courses 1 & 2)
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Students demonstrate their understanding of the attributes of trauma-sensitivity by working together to design and conduct research that assesses the outcomes of efforts to improve trauma-sensitivity in classrooms, schools, or other learning environments. (Prerequsites: Courses 1, 2, & 3)
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In this LIfTS course, participants will explore the intersection of race, equity and trauma in hope of creating safe, supportive and trauma sensitive environments. Educators working with students who experience systemic racism and inequities have additional Adverse Childhood Experiences raising their risk for related learning impacts. Participants will study impacts of systemic racism, implicit biases, and micro-aggressions, to develop action plans and support whole school inclusive communities for every child to connect and thrive.
Cost
Generous funding from Lesley University and the Oak Foundation reduces tuition for each 3-credit graduate trauma course to $500. Once registered, please review your course on Blackboard (courses may appear out of order).
Issues with accessing Blackboard? Email IT@lesley.edu or call IT at 617.349.8770.
Questions? Need to drop? Contact spedcenter@lesley.edu before the course begins—no refunds for withdrawals.
NOTE: If you are currently enrolled in a Lesley University undergraduate or graduate degree-granting program, please speak to your advisor about registration.
Early Access to Registration
Early Access to Registration
Not ready to sign up but interested in future course offerings?
Sign up for priority access, and we’ll email you when the schedule is available!
Registration and Course Access Instructions
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❖ Elevate is an online registration system at Lesley University for continuing education services, such as the Trauma Certificate.
❖ You should see your course/start date listed in the upper right hand corner of the “Create Account” sign-in page. If your district/site is sponsoring payment, it is reflected as a discount. If not, after entering your information, the system will prompt you for payment.
❖ If you’re new to Elevate, you need to create a new account even if you’ve taken classes at Lesley before. If you have an existing Lesley account, use the same name for registration (including maiden names) to avoid duplicates in the system.
❖ Your Elevate email address, username, and password are self-chosen. You may opt to utilize existing Lesley credentials or you may choose a new/unique username and password.
❖ Please record your Elevate account credentials. You will need them to sign up for future courses offered through this platform.
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❖ Once registered through Elevate, you will receive 1 to 2 emails at the address you provided:
Everyone receives an email from elevate@lesley.edu with your Elevate username and portal link.
If you are new to Lesley, you will also receive an email from IT as early as 8 weeks prior to the start of the course date with your Lesley account credentials to access Blackboard/myLesley and the Self-Service portal (links below). Please check your spam/junk boxes too.
Important: You will NOT receive an email from IT if you have an existing Lesley account from previous coursework, degree programs, etc. Please contact IT@lesley.edu
Once you are able to log into Blackboard, you will see your course under the ‘my courses’ tab. Courses show up 6 weeks prior to the start date, and may appear out of order. Click here for a myLesley overview.
❖ If you cannot log in to Blackboard within 2 weeks of the course start date – for any reason – you must contact IT@lesley.edu or call 617-349-8770.
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❖ IT self-help portal: https://support.lesley.edu/support/home
❖ Blackboard/myLesley access: https://my.lesley.edu/
❖ Check your grades in the Self-Service Student Account Portal
❖ Order a transcript: www.lesley.edu/transcripts
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❖ Q: I’ve forgotten my Elevate login? A: elevate@lesley.edu
❖ Q: I can’t login to Blackboard?
A: IT@lesley.edu or 617-349-8770❖ Q: I need to drop a course?
A: spedcenter@lesley.edu before the course begins for a refund. No refunds for withdrawals.❖ Q: I need to check on another issue or have another question?
A: Merlyn Mayhew, mmayhew3@lesley.edu, Associate Director, Center for Inclusive and Special Education
