MassBay Community College Hosts Conference on Trauma and Learning in Post-Secondary Education

BOSTON, Apr 18, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- MassBay Community College will host "Trauma and Learning in Post-Secondary Education," a day-long conference exploring how the issues of trauma -- bullying, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans -- present themselves and are responded to in the diverse, 21st century college environment. The conference will be held on Friday, April 27, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., MassBay Community College, 50 Oakland Street, Wellesley Hills, MA.

Early research indicates that trauma impacts virtually every aspect of the college population, from successful academic learning and relationship-building to campus safety and security to systems of support and referrals. It also illuminates unique needs of specific learning populations such as military service members and veterans, adult learners transitioning in the workplace and first-generation college students.

Topics to be addressed by experts from MassBay and some of Boston's renowned institutions include, "The Impact and Implications of Trauma on Adult Learning," "The Impact of Psychological Trauma on Learning and Function in Adults in Higher Education," "Impacts of Trauma on the Developing Brain," "Origins of Trauma: Can Community College offer Healing?" "Lessons from Trauma Sensitive Schools," and "The Transitioning Veteran." Breakout sessions will address the issues from the clinical, cognitive, medical and personal perspectives during the interdisciplinary event.

Providing the keynote address is Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade, Associate Professor at San Diego State University and an author who has written extensively on urban schooling and curriculum change, urban teacher development and retention, critical pedagogy and cultural and ethnic studies.

Among the noted mental health professionals contributing to the conference are Dr. Shamaila Khan, co-director of Psychological Resilience Training for Boston Medical Center; Dr. Jane Utley Adelizzi, Assistant Dean of Students at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology; Dr. Stephen C. Boos, medical director of the Family Advocacy Center for Baystate Children's Hospital; and Joel Ristuccia, certified school psychologist and member of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, a joint project of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law School.

MassBay recognizes how advances in 21stcentury neuro-science provide for clearer portraits of how the learning brain functions, which allows for educators to comprehend how trauma, especially chronic trauma, adversely affects child and adult learners. The conference will address recent studies and initiatives that identify trauma-specific challenges to successful academic progress in addition to healthy relationship-building skills that are pertinent in both educational institutions and the workplace.

For more information and to register visit: www.massbay.edu/traumaandlearningconference.aspx .

About MassBay Community College

Massachusetts Bay Community College (MassBay) is an open-access, accredited two-year public educational institution. The College grants associate degrees and certificates in a range of disciplines through its five divisions of academics: the Division of Health Sciences; the Division of Humanities; the Division of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (S.T.E.M.); the Division of Social Sciences & Professional Studies; and the Division of Transportation & Energy. Offering over 60 academic programs, MassBay serves Boston and the MetroWest communities with locations in Wellesley Hills, Framingham and Ashland (Automotive Technology Center).

--- www.massbay.edu ---

Contact: Jeremy Solomon Associate Vice President for Marketing 781-239-3122

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