Teaching With Trauma and PTSD: Navigating the Aftermath of Sexual Assault as a Graduate Student Instructor

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Contents

Introduction

Conceptualizing Sexual Trauma and PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Challenges of Teaching with Sexual Trauma as a Graduate Student Instructor

Integrating Trauma-Informed Pedagogy, Critical Disability Theory, and Networks of Care

Reframing Shame

Building Community

Evolving Assessment Practices

Concluding Thoughts

References

About the Author

Building Community

Community is another excellent resource, and I now approach Miller’s (2020) networks of care more explicitly as a way to highlight the valuable work graduate students do to support each other’s mental health. Rather than rearticulating this work and its value, I suggest we surface sexual assault trauma from within the broader landscape of “disability, trauma, and illness” (Miller, 2020), forging networks of care that engage this specific trauma. Without prompting rape disclosure, we should create space for people to discuss trauma and PTSD associated with sexual assault anonymously. Presumably, graduate students who teach writing enjoy writing (although depression can certainly temper this). I propose, therefore, that we look beyond an individual cohort or university to establish writing groups for graduate student sexual assault survivors.