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After working as an accountant in corporate America for six years, Breanna King found her passion for working with young people. She pivoted 鈥�180 degrees,鈥� enrolling in the University of Northern Colorado鈥檚 School Psychology program, from which she earned a master鈥檚 degree and is pursuing a doctorate. She engaged in scholarly work throughout her studies, building research skills along the way. King鈥檚 research examines secondary traumatic stress in educators and its impact on students and declining teacher employment levels.

By focusing on educators, she has set her research apart from most studies on secondary traumatic stress, which primarily deal with medical and mental health workers.

鈥淚 noticed teachers and educational personnel becoming overwhelmed. They would talk about things they'd heard from struggling students and go home still thinking about those kiddos,鈥� she said.

Approximately 92% of the school personnel in her study reported some level of secondary traumatic stress. For 45%, those stressors were at severe levels.

鈥淚 measured it using a scale that maps directly onto the 鈥楧iagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders鈥� (DSM-5-TR). The PTSD symptoms my sample were experiencing corresponded to clinically significant levels of secondary traumatic stress,鈥� she said.

That鈥檚 a higher level of stress than is typically reported by emergency nurses, mental health professionals and social workers. This finding is relevant, she said, because secondary traumatic stress has been shown to lead to attrition. In September, that the teaching profession is experiencing its lowest employment levels in 50 years.

鈥淚 wanted to not only better understand the prevalence, but also learn if there were protective factors we could implement within school systems to help educators,鈥� King said. 鈥淚've come to realize a systems-level approach is needed to make administrators aware of secondary traumatic stress, how it's affecting their staff and what they can do to implement preventative and mitigation strategies.鈥�

King is optimistic that creating a system where educators can flourish will benefit not only those individuals and their students but our whole society.

King鈥檚 advisor is Professor David Hulac in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences鈥� School Psychology department.

鈥淚t's been rewarding to see our professional relationship progress to where it feels like we're colleagues. Over the summer, we would meet weekly on Zoom and collaboratively write together. He's been supportive in every way, going above and beyond that academic professional relationship and being a great mentor,鈥� she said.

Hulac鈥檚 support was especially meaningful during two major life events: having her daughter in her second year and undergoing brain surgery the week after defending her dissertation.

Hulac has been impressed by King鈥檚 work ethic and organizational skills and finds her research compelling.

鈥淏reanna treats an obstacle as a challenge rather than something to be worried about. She can focus on what she needs to get done. Her main finding that nearly half of teachers have severe levels of secondary traumatic stress is shocking,鈥� Hulac said.

He believes the findings speak to several factors: the emotionality of the work, high job demands and inadequate preparation for handling secondary traumatic stress.

鈥淲e always seem to ask if teachers can do a little bit more. We're asking them to work with incredibly difficult kids, provide more differentiated instruction, more behavior management and more support for kids with emotional problems. They're beyond capacity. I think we need to ask teachers to do a little bit less,鈥� Hulac said.

King aims to publish her results in an education journal. So far, she鈥檚 been the lead author of three scholarly publications. After graduating next summer, she plans to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship.

She interns full-time at a community mental health clinic and sees that work as a potential career path.

鈥淚 would love to continue to work in community mental health doing psychological assessments and outpatient therapy. I'm passionate about working with those who may not have the means that others have to pursue mental health supports,鈥� King said.