Foundations

Foundations

Professional Learning Series

Trauma-Informed Training for Safe & Supportive Learning Environments

Build the knowledge, skills, and confidence your team needs to create trauma-responsive schools through flexible, customizable professional development.

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A Flexible, Trauma-Informed Professional Learning Series

FOUNDATIONS is a flexible, trauma-informed professional learning series designed to help organizations build safe, supportive environments. It equips teams with practical strategies, shared understanding, and tools to create lasting, trauma-responsive change.

Our work and experience have shown that building trauma-informed, responsive environments requires a strong foundation of shared understanding, practical strategies, and intentional professional learning:

  • FOUNDATIONS is our Trauma-Informed Professional Learning Series for those wanting to start with the fundamentals, but also having the flexibility to do this professional learning in your own time frame, focusing on the objectives your organization needs.
  • This 6-part series will be launching for the 2026-2027 school year with Modules 1-3 ready in August 2026 and Modules 4-6 available in early 2027. Each module contains approximately 5-7 hours of professional learning work that includes a combination reading, ready-made presentations, videos, and culminating activities to move forward in implementing trauma-informed practices within your organization. The entire FOUNDATIONS series would equate to 35 hours of professional development.
  • FOUNDATIONS modules are meant to be implemented by your staff (known as facilitators) and feature customization in the ways the PD is administered. Timelines and pacing can be lengthened or shortened. Readings and activities can be done within the sessions or assigned for independent learning or on-going professional learning discussions.
  • FOUNDATIONS facilitators will receive a seat to ATN’s Trauma-Informed Level 1 Certification. This 5-hour online coursework and the never-expiring certification available upon completion and testing, will prepare your facilitator(s) with a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts and topics that will be presented in FOUNDATIONS and will equip them to lead your team in a way that best fits your school’s needs.

Key Highlights :

Explore Modules

How FOUNDATIONS Works

FOUNDATIONS is designed to be flexible, practical, and easy to implement, allowing your organization to learn, apply, and grow at your own pace.
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Flexible Learning

Access a 6-part professional learning series that can be implemented based on your organization’s schedule, pacing, and priorities.

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Train Your Team

Facilitators guide staff through modules using videos, readings, discussions, and activities designed for real-world application.

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Customize Your Approach

Adapt the program to your organization’s needs with flexible delivery options and optional coaching and consultation support.

Who is this FOUNDATIONS for:

  • Educators and teachers across all grade levels
  • School leaders, administrators, and support staff
  • Organizations working with children and youth
  • Counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals
  • Non-profits and community-based organizations
  • Anyone committed to building trauma-informed environments
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What’s Included in FOUNDATIONS

Each module is designed to provide a comprehensive and practical learning experience, combining knowledge with real-world application.

5–7 Hours per Module

Each module includes structured professional learning designed to be completed at your own pace.

Ready-to-Use Materials

Includes presentations, readings, videos, and guided activities for easy implementation.

Facilitator Support

Facilitator notes and structured guidance help lead effective team learning sessions.

Participant Resources

All materials are provided for participants to engage, reflect, and apply learning.

Evaluation Tools

Built-in tools help measure progress and track impact for both participants and facilitators.

Explore the FOUNDATIONS Modules

This module introduces school personnel to the continuum of trauma engagement—trauma-aware, trauma-informed, trauma-sensitive, and trauma-responsive. Through podcasts, articles, videos, and team-based discussions, participants will explore how trauma shows up in student well-being and behavior, why shared language matters, and what it means to truly become trauma-informed with the ultimate goal of being trauma-responsive. Designed for all school staff, the module blends independent learning with guided collaboration to help schools take practical steps toward creating safer, more supportive learning environments.
This module dives into the understanding of our own adult nervous systems and how being rooted and regulated ourselves is not only crucial for our wellbeing but for being able to show up for students in a trauma-sensitive and trauma-responsive way. Through a mix of short videos, podcasts, readings and guided discussions, participants will look at ways to identify and mitigate burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma as well as what we can do to help other adults in our organizations. School teams will be able to start designing wellness plans to support the adults’ nervous systems to enable them to better support the students.
Module 3 of this series introduces educators to the core neuroscience behind how children learn, behave, and regulate in school. Through a mix of short videos, podcasts, readings, and guided discussions, participants learn how stress, trauma, and the nervous system shape student actions and engagement. The toolkit offers practical, research-informed strategies—such as co-regulation, understanding the window of tolerance, and promoting felt safety—that help create calmer, more connected, and more supportive classrooms. By the end, school teams will share a common language about the brain and behavior and be equipped with actionable tools to integrate trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned practices into daily routines.
Module 4 explores the role of attachment and the irreducible need for connection in our students, and how building safe relationships in your classrooms, schools and communities is crucial to support student learning. Participants will learn, through a mix of short videos, podcasts, readings and guided discussions about the concepts of felt safety and co-regulation as well as how connection directly improves learning, reduces bullying, and builds resilience. Understanding attachment challenges and resulting behaviors, as well as actual strategies school staff can use to promote safety and resilience is a key objective of this module.
In Module 5 of this series the focus will be on regulation – what it is and how to teach the skill of self-regulation (spoiler: it’s through using co-regulation). Through a mix of short videos, podcasts, readings, and guided discussions, participants will revisit the neuroscience of brain development (Module 3) and the concept of Window of Tolerance (Module 2) to understand regulation and to recognize strategies and activities that can help students increase their ability to regulate. By the end of this module, participants will know both how and why to implement regulation strategies with the children in their care.
Module 6 is focused on resilience. Helping the students in our care, as well as ourselves and the other adults in our schools to become more resilient is the hope for creating life-long, thriving learners. Topics in this module will include the importance of empathy, curiosity and self-compassion, as well as an introduction to Hope Theory.
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Flexible Packages to Fit Your Organization

Our FOUNDATIONS Professional Learning is packaged in the following ways with base prices listed:

Small

For staff up to 20
  • Full Program: $675
  • Half Program: $500
  • Single Module: $200
  • 1 Facilitator Included

Medium

For 20–99 participants
  • Full Program: $3500
  • Half Program: $2300
  • Single Module: $850
  • 2 Facilitator Included

Large

For 100+ participants
  • Full Program: $8000
  • Half Program: $4800
  • Single Module: $1800
  • 4 Facilitator Included

Consulting & Customization Support

We can help you design and customize your FOUNDATIONS professional learning journey to meet your organization’s unique goals and needs. Experienced Trauma-Sensitive Schools consultants are available to support your implementation and guide your team.

Coaching and consultation services are available in flexible 4-hour blocks, allowing your organization to receive ongoing support.

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What Makes FOUNDATIONS Different

FOUNDATIONS is built on proven principles, practical application, and years of experience supporting trauma-informed practices in real-world environments.

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Rooted in Trauma-Informed Practice

FOUNDATIONS is grounded in established trauma-informed principles, ensuring a strong, evidence-based foundation for learning and implementation.

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Focused on Relationships & Regulation

The program emphasizes connection, emotional safety, and regulation—key elements for creating supportive and effective learning environments.

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Flexible & Customizable

Designed to adapt to your organization’s needs, FOUNDATIONS allows flexibility in pacing, delivery, and implementation.

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Backed by Experience

Built on decades of experience supporting educators and organizations working with children impacted by trauma.

Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs

FOUNDATIONS is designed for education professionals at all levels and in all roles. While examples are centered around children, the concepts are foundational for educationally focused organizations that work with children from infancy through post-secondary education, and do apply to all humans and the way our brains develop, process traumatic stress, grow and become resilient.
Facilitators receive onboarding emails with access to certification, videos, presentations, PDFs, and all necessary materials for implementation.
Each modules will take 5-7 hours to complete. So the entire FOUNDATIONS program of 6 modules will average at least 35 hours worth of professional development training. We recognize that this is more material than many organizations will be able to present in a school year. We recommend that this content be carefully integrated into your professional learning strategies over a multi -year timeframe.
Each purchase comes with a Level 1 Trauma-Informed Certification registration for 1-4 facilitators (depending on the size of the organization). This 5-hour, online, self-paced training, testing and certification is crucial to facilitators understanding the concepts, language and topics that will be covered in the FOUNDATIONS modules. Once your chosen facilitator(s) complete their certification, they will be equipped to lead your staff through these modules and toward your organization’s specific goals.
The FOUNDATIONS Consultation package is optional, but we highly recommend it. ATN will connect you to one of our experienced trauma-sensitive education experts for 4 hours of coaching and consultation. This is a great way to customize the PD to your school’s specific needs and to set overall goals. Your facilitator and leadership will have access to this coach/consultant throughout the school year. The initial coaching package is $400 for 4 hours. Additional 4-hour consulting blocks can be purchased beyond the initial block for $600 per 4-hours of consultation. All consulting block hours must be used in the school year that they were purchased.
Yes. We’re happy to provide outlines and portions of the Facilitator Guides to give you more details of the materials that are included in each module.
This six-part evidence-based professional development series supports educators and school leaders in building trauma-responsive school communities through neuroscience, connection, regulation, educator well-being, and the science of hope and resilience. Participants gain a shared language and practical strategies to strengthen safety, relationships, and sustainable care for both students and the adults who support them.

This package is rooted in SAMHSA’s 6 guiding principles of trauma-informed care. Developmental neuroscience is a major cornerstone of this program, along with specific focuses on attachment theory and the science of relationships, along with the understanding of the role of regulation and how self-regulation is developed. References are cited within the modules and additional research information can be provided.

Size of FOUNDATIONS package is determined by number of people who will be trained.  The number of surveys and completion certificates available to your organization will be limited to the max number for that size level.  Each level has a different number of facilitator certifications as well.

  • Small schools (1 facilitator) = 20 or less participants trained
  • Medium schools/organizations (2 facilitators) = 21-99 participants trained
  • Large school/districts (4 facilitators) = 100+ trained

Always! FOUNDATIONS schools can purchase additional Level 1 Trauma-Informed certification seats for $75 per seat. You can do this prior to starting FOUNDATIONS to train additional facilitators and/or you can purchase certifications upon completion of these modules to credential additional staff throughout your organization. This $75 rate is a 50% reduction of our usual certification rate. Learn more details about our Level 1 Certification here .

If your facilitator is already certified through ATN’s Level 1 certification, then that person is ready to begin facilitating your FOUNDATIONS PD. The certification seat is priced into the purchase, so you’re welcomed to assign that seat to an additional staff member. Those of you purchasing individual modules or ½ series of modules will receive certification seats for facilitators built into the purchase price of each of your modules. Feel free to get as many of your staff Level 1 certified as possible.

If your staff was certified through another organization, we believe it is important that they still complete the Level 1 certification, to be clear on the language, definitions and concepts that ATN presents. This knowledge base will help them to best facilitate the FOUNDATIONS modules.

Both FOUNDATIONS and ATN’s Certification Program are rooted in evidence-based practice and organized around SAMHSA’s 4-R framework (Realize, Recognize, Respond and Resist Retraumatization) and 6 guiding principles of trauma-informed practice.

The Level 1 Certification is designed as an individualized online learning credential and the first level of future trauma-sensitive and trauma-responsive credentials.

FOUNDATIONS is designed as Professional Development content specifically for educational organizations to use with all their staff to begin and enhance their school’s journey to becoming trauma-responsive. FOUNDATIONS has several opportunities for individual learning, but also for group discussion and experiential learning.

There is definitely overlapping content in these two programs, but FOUNDATIONS has opportunities to go deeper in many of the fundamental concepts, with a total of 35 hours of training vs. the 5 hours of Level 1 certification.

Yes, additional 4-hour blocks of coaching/consultation are available throughout the school year for $600 each 4-hour block. (The initial consultation package is $400 for 4 hours.) ATN will match you with an available trauma-sensitive schools expert for these consultations. Although we can’t guarantee it, every effort will be made to have the same consultant working with you throughout these additional contracts as well. All consultation packages much be used in the school year in which they’re purchased.

There are so many ways to continue your organization’s learning.  Here are some we recommend:

  • Attend a conference or online event from ATN. We have our Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference in-person every summer, at various cities across the US.  We also have our Learning Brain Exchange, virtually, usually in February each year.  There are other national and regional conferences and webinars hosted by ATN or our partners throughout the year.
  • Attend ATN’s FREE Solution Seeking Sessions monthly throughout the school year. This is a great opportunity for teachers, counselors and administrators to present a “case” that is challenging your staff to trauma-informed consultants and get insight and strategies.  Many attend each month to learn from each other.
  • Engage consultants from ATN’s PD Collaborative. Your whole organization can go deeper and/or focus on specific areas of trauma-responsive education (such as restorative practices or trauma-informed policies) by working with experts in these areas.

Propose to present a workshop or submit your own success stories to ATN for use in our programming.  We love recognizing organizations who are passionate about trauma-responsive work.  We want to celebrate your accomplishments.

Purchasing FAQs

The price of FOUNDATIONS is based on the number of participants who will be trained.  See the chart above. 

You can buy the appropriate sized package here.  FOUNDATIONS can be purchased as a full 6-module package, as ½-series package (Modules 1-3 or Modules 4-6) , or as individual modules.

During this inaugural year, Modules 1-3 will be available in August 2026, with Modules 4-6 available in early 2027.

If your facilitator has not yet begun their Level 1 Trauma-Informed Certification course and you have not yet begun to administer the FOUNDATIONS PD and it is less than 90 days since your purchase, we will refund 100% of your purchase when requested in writing.

Yes, ATN will gladly take purchase orders from schools and other organizations.  Contact us at certification@attachtrauma.org for more information.

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Empower your team with trauma-informed practices and create safe, supportive environments where students and professionals can thrive.

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Flexible Packages to Fit Your Organization

Initial Package

$400 (4 hours)
  • 1-hour goal setting
  • Up to four 30-minute check-in sessions
  • 1-hour follow-up

Additional Packages

$600 (4 hours)
  • Flexible ongoing support
  • Designed for continued implementation

Coaching sessions are designed to support your team throughout implementation.