Trauma or Attitude? Understanding the Difference and Responding with Compassion

A Note From The Principal's Desk by Dr. Stacy Shepard

Episode notes

In this final installment of the trauma series, Dr. Shepard invites listeners into an honest, reflective, and deeply necessary conversation about one of the most misunderstood issues in schools, families, and adult relationships: the difference between a trauma response and a “bad attitude.”

Drawing from personal experience, school leadership, trauma-informed practice, and faith, Dr. Shepard challenges the quick labels we often assign to children and adults alike. She unpacks how behaviors such as emotional outbursts, withdrawal, perfectionism, defiance, and overreactions are often rooted in unresolved trauma—not disrespect.

This episode explores:

  • Why trauma does not expire with age
  • How childhood wounds often show up in adulthood
  • The danger of punishment without understanding
  • How educators, parents,  ... 
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