Associate Professor
Judith Howard
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education
Biography
Judith comes from an extensive career and experience within government schooling in Queensland. She has worked as a teacher, school counsellor and student behaviour specialist and has held both regional and state leadership positions with the Queensland Education Department. Judith’s work has always had a keen focus on addressing the concerns faced by young learners living with the outcomes of complex trauma and the people working hard to educate them. She promotes a neuroscience-informed approach – to which she believes every educator needs access. Judith oversees pre-service and post-graduate teacher education in Trauma-Aware Education at QUT (including the popular, Graduate Certificate in Trauma-Aware Education and M.Ed. Trauma-Aware Education) and has developed online courses that are reaching thousands nationally and internationally. She supervises a growing number of PhD students who are adding to the research evidence base for Trauma-Aware Education and is the founder and principal organiser for the biennial Trauma-Aware Education Conference. She is the author of the popular book: “Distressed or Deliberately Defiant: Managing Challenging Student Behaviour due to Trauma and Disorganised Attachment (2013) and her more recent publication, “Trauma-Aware Education” Essential Information and Guidance for Educators, Education Sites and Education Systems” (2022). Judith continues to be busy researching, writing, speaking and training, and developing resources to advance Trauma-Aware Education across Australia.Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education
Keywords
trauma-aware education, trauma-aware, trauma-informed, trauma-sensitive, complex childhood trauma, neuroscience, student behaviour
Research field
Specialist studies in education, Education systems
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
Member: QUT Research Centre for Child & Family Studies Queensland College of Teachers International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Australia and New Zealand Mental Health Association
Teaching
Current
- Study Area Coordinator: Graduate Certificate Trauma-Aware Education
- Unit Coordinator
- EUB003: Managing Challenging Student Behaviours Related to Complex Trauma
- EUN252: Trauma-Awareness (M.Teach)
- EUN651: Introduction to Trauma-Aware Education
- EUN653: The Science of Complex Trauma
- EUN654: Learners impacted by Trauma
- EUN655: Leading Trauma-Aware Education
- University Academic for EUQ640: Introductory Educational Counselling
Coordinator
- Study Area Coordinator: M. Ed School Guidance and Counselling
- MOOC, Module and Module Plus (Assessment): Teaching students who have suffered complex trauma.
- International Microcredential: Trauma-Aware Education
Previous Unit Coordinator :
- LCN620: Psycho-educational Assessment; LCN618: Advanced Educational Counselling; LCN619: School Guidance and Counselling Professional Practice; LCN633: School Guidance and Counselling Practicum.
- LCN636: Introductory Educational Counselling
- EDB140 Teaching Strategies and Planning
- EDB170 Creating Positive Learning Environments (2nd year preservice teachers)
- LCB343 - Managing Challenging Student Behaviours Related to Complex Trauma
- LCB670 - Creating Positive Learning Environments (M. Teach)
- EUB103 - Culture Studies: Indigenous Education (2nd year preservice teachers)
- EUN104 - Culture Studies: Indigenous Education (M. Teach)
Experience
Judith regularly engages with key state, national, and international colleagues and stakeholders to promote and develop trauma-aware schooling across Australia. She regularly speaks on the topic in keynote addresses and delivers training and seminars examining trauma-aware school practice and the impact of complex childhood trauma on child development and school behaviour and engagement. She has led the development of the "National Guidelines for Trauma-Aware Education".
Publications
- Howard, J., (2022). Trauma-aware education: Essential information and guidance for educators, education sites and education systems. Australian Academic Press. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/238193
- Brown, M., Howard, J. & Walsh, K. (2022). Building Trauma Informed Teachers: A constructivist grounded theory study of remote primary school teachers' experiences with children living with the effects of complex childhood trauma. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/232454
- Howard, J., L'Estrange, L. & Brown, M. (2022). National Guidelines for Trauma-Aware Education in Australia. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/232311
- L'Estrange, L., Brown, M. & Howard, J. (2022). The School Counsellor's Role in Trauma Aware Education. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 32(2), 243–253. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/227631
- L'Estrange, L. & Howard, J. (2022). Trauma-informed initial teacher education training: A necessary step in a system-wide response to addressing childhood trauma. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234338
- Howard, J., (2021). National Guidelines for Trauma-Aware Education. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207800
- Howard, J. & L'Estrange, L. (2021). The Guidance Counsellor's role regarding Trauma-Aware Schooling in Brisbane Catholic Education schools: Report for Brisbane Catholic Education. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207801
- Howard, J., (2020). Trauma-aware early childhood education and care. Early Childhood Australia. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/200422
- Howard, J., (2019). A systemic framework for trauma-informed schooling: Complex but necessary! Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, 28(5), 545–565. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/120275
- Howard, J., (2017). A Tier 3 approach to complex childhood trauma. Developing positive classroom environments: Strategies for nurturing adolescent learning, 261–277. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/114538
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Judith, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2022
- Details
- Australian Award for University Teaching: Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
- Type
- Fellowship of a Learned Academy or Membership of AIATSIS
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- QUT Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching and Research Excellence (Individual)
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2004
- Details
- Master of Education High Academic Achievement Award (GPA: 7)
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 1996
- Details
- Australian College of Education Award
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 1996
- Details
- Queensland University of Technology Medal for Academic Excellence (GPA: 6.9)
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Trauma-informed alternative education in Australia: Recommended service design and delivery
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Lyra L'Estrange - The Role of The School Counsellor in Supporting Trauma-Impacted Students in Java, Indonesia
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Meegan Brown - Care-Wisdom in the Classroom: Professional Learning to Support Students Living with Medical Stress
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Jill Willis - School Counsellor Experiences Responding to Critical Incidents: A Phenomenological study
Professional Doctorate, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Meegan Brown - Trauma-Informed Adult Learning: Considerations to Enhance Educational Success for Trauma-Impacted Adults
Professional Doctorate, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Lyra L'Estrange
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Building Trauma Informed Teachers: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study of Remote Primary School Teachers' Experiences With Children Living With the Effects of Complex Childhood Trauma (2021)
- Examining the Primary School Experiences of Intercountry Adoptees: Perspectives of Adoptive Parents and Children (2017)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.