The Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity (LIFTS) strives to promote the development of safe and supportive educational environments, using a whole-child, whole-school, trauma-sensitive approaches. We offer:
- Graduate level courses leading to a certificate in trauma and learning
- Professional development for school communities
- Executive coaching for administrators and school leadership teams
- Research on developing trauma sensitive learning environments
We partner with diverse schools locally, nationally, and globally. In these partnerships, we have witnessed remarkable outcomes that include fewer office referrals, fewer suspensions, stronger classroom communities, and better support networks for educators.
LIFTS, a part of Lesley's Center for Inclusive and Special Education, is directed by Dr. Sal Terrasi.
Courses
Each of the following five courses provide three graduate level credits, and are offered to professional educators (teachers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, specialists, and administrators) at a substantial discount. This discount is made possible due to generous funding from the Oak Foundation, which commits its resources to address issues of global social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged.
The first four courses comprise a certificate program in trauma & learning. Courses must be taken in sequence, and are offered in a variety of formats, including on-site delivery in your district, remote (synchronous and asynchronous) 8-week delivery, and an intensive low-residency institute format, which combines weekend study with continuing online work.
For more information, contact Merlyn Mayhew, Assistant Director, at mmayhew3@lesley.edu.
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1. The Impact of Trauma on Learning: An Overview
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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2. The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Classroom and Student Supports
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.
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3. The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools
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.
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4. The Impact of Trauma on Learning: Action Research and Seminar
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.
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5. Racism, Equity, and Trauma
In this 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.
Executive Coaching
We provide executive coaching to district and school leaders, as well as community-based staff, to support the process of change toward trauma sensitivity.
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Details on Executive Coaching
Executive coaching is designed as a collaborative change process. Together, the LIFTS coach and the organizational leadership develop a schedule and tailored plan to meet identified needs. This integrated team approach often includes principals, assistant principals, district administrators, wraparound service directors, school-based paraprofessionals, and staff of community-based organizations.
Typically, coaching sequences follow an agreed upon plan that includes the scope and cost of coaching services. Once finalized, this plan is outlined in a memorandum of understanding.
Our LIFTS coaches have a deep understanding of educational, cultural, psychological, and political factors that affect the learning environment. Possible focal points for executive coaching include:
- Leading school or district change initiatives
- Assistance with data collection and analysis
- Monitoring and assessing progress of initiatives
For more information, contact: Salvatore Terrasi, sterrasi@lesley.edu, (617) 699-8769.
Resources
See our Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity resources page to find tools, articles, and more.

Is Your School Trauma Sensitive?

Resilient Educators in Times of Crisis

Trauma & Learning Resources

6 Ways to Avoid Compassion Fatigue

LIFTS Director Speaks to Foxboro Educators
- Andover
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- Washington, DC
- Baltimore, MD
- Gorham, NH
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- Finger Lakes, NY
- North Carolina
- Cincinnati, OH
- Bennington, VT
- Patricia Crain De Galarce, Center Director
pcrainde@lesley.edu - Center for Inclusive and Special Education
spedcenter@lesley.edu
- Merlyn Mayhew, Associate Director
mmayhew3@lesley.edu - Nadege Tessono, Visual Artist-in-Residence
ntessono@lesley.edu
- Sal Terrasi, Director, Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity
terrasi@lesley.edu - Joel Ristuccia, Lead Clinical Faculty
jristucc@lesley.edu
Faculty

Salvatore Terrasi
Director of Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity, Adjunct Professor
Salvatore (Sal) Terrasi is project director for the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity and oversees all program activities. He is a member of the adjunct faculty and an authority on educational research, measurement, and evaluation. As a practitioner with more than 45 years of experience in public education, Sal has been a classroom teacher, school adjustment counselor, special education team chair, and director of research. He has presented at many professional conferences, published articles in a number of professional journals and conference proceedings, and is co-author of “Trauma and learning in America’s classrooms,” Kappan (March 2017)

Patricia Crain de Galarce
Director, Center for Inclusive and Special Education
As the director of the Center for Inclusive and Special Education, Patricia is focused on equity in education. She continues to provide leadership for the Inclusion Institute and the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity.
Patricia considers herself a lifelong teacher and learner. She began her career as an elementary, bilingual, and special education teacher. She has taught almost every grade level from young children to graduate students in Massachusetts, Washington, DC, and Paraguay, South America. For 12 years, Patricia led Stokes (EWS) School, an inclusive dual language immersion elementary school in DC, as the director of education and principal.
Previously at Lesley, Patricia served as the Literacy Institute Coordinator, DC's Lead Clinical Faculty in partnership with the Urban Teacher Center, and Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Education.
Education
BS in Education, Westfield State University
MA in Intercultural Relations, Lesley University
CAGS in Education Administration, Lesley University
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, University of Pennsylvania

Joel Ristuccia
Lead Instructor/Mentor

Merlyn Mayhew
Assistant Director, Center for Inclusive and Special Education
In her position as assistant director of the Center for Inclusive and Special Education at Lesley University, Merlyn brings a wide range of experience and knowledge. During her years at Lesley, she has worked in multiple roles across the Graduate School of Education, most recently as an academic advisor.