Trauma & Education

Dr. Mona Mittal sees her interest in trauma and human suffering as the result of her upbringing.

Having grown up in India, Dr. Mittal admits that despite its immense beauty, suffering was never far out of sight.

While pursuing her master’s in social work, she interned at a special unit within the police department that worked with women and children. It was both the hardships and human resilience she witnessed that led Dr. Mittal to pursue further study and get her PhD.

On this week’s episode of TraumaTies, brought to life by the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC) and hosted by Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg, Dr. Mittal discusses her journey to clinical research and teaching at University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, as well as the incredible work she does now with individuals and couples experiencing interpersonal violence.

Featured Guest

Name: Dr. Mona Mittal

What she does: Dr. Mittal is a clinical researcher and associate professor of Family Science at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Her research focuses on individuals and couples who have experienced interpersonal violence, using a trauma informed lens to look at the mental, sexual, and reproductive health of survivors. As a professor, she teaches classes on trauma, addictions, family crises, and more.

Company: University of Maryland’s School of Public Health

Words of wisdom: “People are so strong, and with a little bit of help, they can really rebound and grow tremendously.”

Connect: LinkedIn

Episode Highlights

[07:16] Trauma-informed classrooms: Dr. Mittal discusses how, historically, K-12 classrooms get more focus on trauma-informed understanding, but this should extend to collegiate students, of whom more than half report having experienced a trauma in their lives, impacting alcohol and drug use, mental health, and academic performance.

[13:02] Academic issues: A continuation of her call for trauma-informed higher education classrooms, Dr. Mittal addresses the traumatizing reality of academia itself.

[23:24] Creating the right space: In creating a trauma-informed higher education classroom, Dr. Mittal believes it needs to start with the faculty, staff, and university systems talking about the prevalence of trauma and adapting SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.

[28:49] The power of one: Studies show that it takes just one person reaching out and expressing care and concern for another person to have a great impact. People shouldn’t minimize their own power in making a difference.

[30:00] Free materials: Dr. Mittal offers some other resources for professionals to use when trying to implement more trauma-informed understanding in their work: International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

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Brought to you by Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, NVRDC seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

NVRDC also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, case management, and legal services to victims of all crime types in Washington, DC. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.