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theses

Schools are recognized as a child’s secondary system of care and are endowed with an inherent sense of reliance that enables them to take on attributes such as trust, safety, respect, and encouragement, which are akin to healthy families and essential to the well-being of children. In the aftermath of trauma, children are dependent upon their primary caregivers for healing but, when these systems fail to provide opportunities for healing, their well-being is compromised. A school’s unique capability to act in loco parentis or in the place of a parent, makes them readily available to respond to a child’s needs. This case study proposes that by reconceptualizing the current notion of in loco parentis from one with punitive undertones to a therapeutic one, schools will be prepared to establish themselves not just as institutions for learning but also as therapeutic communities. As told through the narrativized case of a nine-year old Hispanic boy and his mother, this case study illustrates how an elementary school became the primary source of intervention to trauma and confirms that schools can be alternative and wellaccepted places for healing. The case study thus validates the call to action for public schools to maximize their potential for developing therapeutic environments and contends that therapeutic communities can and should be replicated within schools.

ETD_6591

DSW

Includes bibliographical references

by Irma W. Sandoval-Arocho

doi:10.7282/T35H7J8P

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.