Trauma Aware Higher Education Leaders Network

Professor Judith Howard is from the School of Education at the Queensland University of Technology and is a leading researcher and educator in the field of Trauma-Aware Education in Australia. 

Before moving to academia, Judith had an extensive career history as a teacher, school counsellor and held both regional and state leadership roles as a student behaviour specialist. Her work has always had a keen focus on concerns of young learners from complex trauma histories. She promotes a neuroscience-informed approach - to which she believes every educator needs access, including those in Higher Education. 

At QUT, Judith oversees pre-service and post graduate teacher education in trauma-aware education and has developed online courses that are reaching thousands nationally and internationally. She has led development of the “National Guidelines for Trauma-Aware Education”, and is the author two books, “Distressed or Deliberately Defiant: Managing Challenging Student Behaviour due to Trauma and Disorganised Attachment” (2013), and “Trauma-Aware Education: Essential information and guidance for educators, education sites, and education systems” (2022). She is also the founder and principal chair of the large, biennial “Trauma-Aware Education Conference” held in Australia.

Dr Lyra L’Estrange is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. 

Lyra’s research and teaching in trauma aware education contributes to redefining support systems for children and adolescents living with the outcomes of complex trauma. Lyra uses her research experience in public health to translate trauma-informed principles into the education space, supporting the understanding of how learning and development is affected by complex trauma. 

Lyra has worked with parents, educators, and community organisations since 2014 delivering trauma-informed education.

Professor Marcelle Cacciattolo is a sociologist and the Associate Director (Research Training) in the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities at Victoria University. 

Over the last twenty-three years her research has been cross-disciplinary involving health sciences and education based research. Research projects that Marcelle has been involved in include young people and their wellbeing, refugee relocation and innovative teaching and learning pedagogies within tertiary settings. 

Marcelle works closely with preservice teachers and schools to examine how inclusive pedagogies can support children and families who are the least advantaged. Marcelle is an expert in trauma-informed pedagogies and is working alongside international communities to establish trauma-informed initial teacher education programs. 

Marcelle is currently an honorary adjunct professor at Mahidol University (Thailand) and Andhra University (India).

TAHELN members are actively engaged in research that advances trauma-aware higher education. Selected publications and outputs include:

• L'Estrange, L., & Howard, J. (2022). Trauma-informed initial teacher education training: A necessary step in a system-wide response to addressing childhood trauma. Frontiers in Education, 7, 1–12.
• Howard, J. (2022). Trauma-Aware Education: Essential information and guidance for educators, education sites, and education systems. 
• Howard, J. (2013). Distressed or Deliberately Defiant: Managing Challenging Student Behaviour due to Trauma and Disorganised Attachment.
• Thomson, P., & Carello, J. (Eds.). (2022). Trauma-informed pedagogies: A guide for responding to crisis and inequality in higher education. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Brunzell, T., Stokes, H., & Greig, J. (2025). Trauma-Informed Educational Leadership. 
• Cacciattolo, M., Knight, E., Woodend, J., & Greaves, K. F. (2026). Barriers and Enablers to the Establishment of Trauma-Informed Career Development in Schools. In Exploring Equity, Inclusion and Agency in Education: Theory, Policy and Practice (pp. 63–83).

TAHELN is an active and growing network. Activities include regular quarterly virtual meetings where members come together for presentations and professional dialogue, as well as a range of broader initiatives:

• Trauma Awareness Summit (November 2025) – a two-day national event co-led by Victoria University and QUT
• Network retreat – a focused professional learning event attended by 11 staff members
• Member research showcases – 10–15 minute presentations where members share current work and research projects
• Thematic and state-based networking groups – opportunities for members to connect around shared interests and geographic location
• Publication projects – including an edited book series and a special issue of the Qualitative Research Journal on trauma-aware higher education
• International connections – engagement with global partners in trauma-aware education

The Trauma Awareness Summit is a flagship initiative of TAHELN, bringing together educators, researchers, practitioners, and allied health professionals to explore how trauma-aware practice can transform learning environments.

The inaugural Summit was held on 24–25 November 2025 at the Melbourne Marriott Hotel, co-led by Victoria University and QUT. The Summit featured keynote presentations from leading researchers, practitioner panels, interactive sessions, and collaborative activities. Key themes included:

• The science and neuroscience underpinning trauma-aware education
• Whole-site and whole-system approaches to trauma-aware education
• Lived experience perspectives in higher education
• National guidelines for trauma-informed education in Australia
• The risky business of excluding traumatology from higher education and TAFE

The Summit demonstrated the strong appetite across the sector for this kind of collaborative, evidence-informed professional community.

On 5–6 February 2026, twelve VU staff members attended a writing retreat that focused on Trauma Transformative Teacher Education programs. The two-day writing retreat was held at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and led by Dr Carmel Hobbs. UTAS in partnership with VU, La Trobe University and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) delivered a series of workshops and seminars on trauma education. 

The retreat attracted teacher education academics from across thirteen Australian Universities and involved over thirty participants. On day one the Head of Education Leanne McLean (Tasmania’s former Commissioner for Children and Young People) gave an overview of her work as a Commissioner and discussed her current role as Head of Education at UTAS. Leanne affirmed the important role that Australian universities can play in establishing trauma-sensitive teaching and learning programs. 

The Vice-Chancellor of UTAS, Professor Rufus Black also gave an inspirational presentation on Day Two. During his talk he discussed strategies that the university is adopting to embed a trauma-aware culture of practice. 

The writing retreat provided opportunities for cross-institutional collaboration on research and writing projects connected to trauma education in teacher education. Some of the themes that were explored across the two days are noted below:

• Core Content in Trauma-Transformative Teacher Education 
• Delivering Trauma-Transformative Practice 
• Teacher Educator PD and Wellbeing 
• Trauma-Transformative Teacher Education in a changing educational landscape – Safety and Systemic Challenges
• Trauma-Transformative Systems and Institutional Leadership 

An outcome of the writing retreat is the production of an edited book proposal that will explore the theme of trauma aware standpoints in teacher education programs. 

Professor Marcelle Cacciattolo, Associate Director (Research Training) - ISILC