Trauma-Informed Teaching — A New Monthly Series
SEPTEMBER 8, 2025
Introducing Trauma-Informed Teaching: Learning as Care and Justice
What does it mean to teach in ways that embody both care and justice?
This fall, McCormick Theological Seminary’s Trauma Healing Initiative (THI) is launching a new monthly webinar series designed to explore just that.
Each 60-minute session features Dr. Stephanie M. Crumpton, THI Director, in conversation with leading voices in theological education. Together, they’ll dive into what it takes to create trauma-informed, healing-centered classrooms—and they’ll give participants practical tools to carry back into their own teaching and ministry contexts.
Meet Our First Guest: Dr. Phillis Isabella Sheppard
We’re honored to welcome Dr. Phillis Isabella Sheppard as our inaugural guest. Dr. Sheppard is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Religion, Psychology, and Culture at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, where she was the first African American woman promoted to full professor.
A womanist practical theologian and psychoanalyst, Dr. Sheppard’s work explores embodiment, ritual, and the complex negotiations of self in public and private spaces. She is the author of Self, Culture and Others in Womanist Practical Theology and Tilling Sacred Ground: Interiority, Black Women, and Religious Experience, and she is the founder of the Womanist Ethnography Conference. She brings both depth and practicality to conversations about trauma-informed pedagogy and the sacred work of teaching.
What You’ll Gain
Every webinar in this series is designed to be practical and participatory. Here’s what you can expect:
A featured guest offering insights from their scholarship and practice
A short presentation on a timely teaching topic
Interactive discussion about classroom application
A practical, 1-page teaching tactic you can apply right away
Join the Online Series
When: Monthly, 11 AM–12 PM CST
Fall 2025 dates: Sept. 19 • Oct. 17 • Nov. 7
Spring 2026 dates: Jan. 16 • Feb. 20 • Mar. 20 • Apr. 17
Where: Online via Zoom
This series is designed for educators, ministry leaders, and all who are committed to creating trauma-informed, healing-centered spaces. Each session offers not only inspiration but also practical tools you can put to work right away. Come ready to learn, share, and leave equipped with strategies that will shape your teaching and ministry the very next day.