Trauma-Informed Schooling Guide | Monash University Australia
Monash University’s new guide addresses Australia’s childhood trauma crisis, offering schools trauma-informed practices to boost learning and wellbeing.

Inspires students to love learning.
Brings real-world insights to the classroom.
Always approachable and easy to talk to.
Encourages students to think creatively.
Emily Berger is an Associate Professor in the School of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, at Monash University. She is a registered Educational and Developmental Psychologist endorsed by the Psychology Board of Australia and serves as a Board-approved Supervisor. Berger earned her Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental) and PhD from Monash University in 2014. Her professional experience includes working as a psychologist in school, hospital, and private practice settings, delivering mental health diagnosis and treatment to children and families. She holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position with Monash’s School of Rural Health and a Senior Adjunct Research Fellow role there.
Berger's research investigates the lifelong implications of adverse childhood experiences, psychological trauma, and interventions supporting children and families exposed to stress and trauma. Her work encompasses disasters, refugees, out-of-home care, disability, rural adversity, and trauma across early childhood, school, and tertiary settings. She leads initiatives to integrate trauma-informed practices into organizational and school operations. Berger has published widely, including the highly cited "Multi-tiered approaches to trauma-informed care in schools: A systematic review" (2019), "Impact of school-based interventions for building school belonging in adolescence: A systematic review" (2022), "Embedding trauma-informed practice within the education sector" (2021), and contributions to "Understanding and Implementing Trauma-Informed Practice in School: An Evidence-Based Guide" (2026). She has received awards such as the Dean’s Researcher Award (2017), Australian Postgraduate Award (2011), and Australian Scholarship Group Travel Grant Award (2014). Berger delivers public lectures, including "Trauma-Informed Practice for Teachers" (2022), and supervises postgraduate research. She contributed to Monash University’s submission to the Senate on school classroom disruption (2023).
Monash University’s new guide addresses Australia’s childhood trauma crisis, offering schools trauma-informed practices to boost learning and wellbeing.