Browsing by Author "Malkamäki, Sanna"

Goals. The goal of this research was to illustrate how a teacher’s traumatic experience can be handled in elementary school and what kind of help a teacher who has experienced a traumatic situation can receive to manage in work life. This research incorporates children’s capability to deal with traumatic situations, models for handling difficult themes in elementary school, and concrete ways to help a teacher with a traumatic experience in and outside of work. This research gives teachers information about how to handle traumatic situations, such as a sudden death or an assault of a relative, in elementary school and introduces scientifically well-proven resources in work life after having experienced a traumatic situation. There is some research about children who have experienced traumatic situations and about helping them, but none about teachers with traumatic experiences and how to handle these experiences in the classroom with pupils. This research is based on Saari’s (2003) theories about traumatic crisis and Cullberg’s (1993) model of four stages of the progress of crisis. Methods. The research method used in this thesis is narrative overview, which summarizes the information of previous research, and in which the data has not been screened systemat-ically. The data is based on eight scientific books and seven articles that observe support in traumatic circumstances, traumatic occurrences in work life, as well as children in traumatic situations, and how these are handled. The data has been analyzed by using theming and data-based qualitative content analysis. The results and conclusions. The results of this research indicate that describing the facts with honesty, frankness, and from the point of view of the recipient, is the recommended procedure for approaching traumatic situations in elementary school. There are several measures for aiding an employee to maintain stability after a traumatic experience, the most crucial help being occupational health services, the support of one’s colleagues, employers, family and friends, as well as personal coping methods. This thesis has uncovered that there is a considerable lack of research in the field of traumatic occurrences in elementary school and the corresponding coping methods. Thus, more research and inquiries are needed to better understand and help teachers in such circumstances.