William Steele

Dr. William Steele began his work in the field of trauma by taking the lead in helping schools across the country develop crisis teams in response to the epidemic of suicide among young people in the early1980’s. These and other experiences led him to founding the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) in 1990. As its Director for 23 years, he created a legacy of trauma specific, registered evidence-based intervention programs and resources for schools and agencies now being used in 55 countries by many of the additional 6,000 professionals he trained while at TLC. His work has been featured in such books as the Handbook of Play Therapy, Children in the Urban Environment, Understanding Mass Violence, Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children, Critical Incidents in Counseling Children, Clinical Handbook of Art Therapy and in varied journals. His latest publications by Routledge include, Reducing Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout: A Trauma-Sensitive Workbook, Optimizing Learning Outcomes: Proven Brain-Centric, Trauma-Sensitive Practices (2017), Trauma In Schools and Communities: Recovery Lessons From Survivors and Responders (2015), Trauma Informed Practices with Children and Adolescents (2012), and the 2013, Wiley Publication Working with Traumatized Children and Adolescents. Dr. Steele has assisted thousands of survivors and professionals over the years following such tragedies as the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma, 9/11 in New York and Washington D.C., Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2009 killings (while in school in the presence of students) of a high school coach in Iowa and a teacher in Texas among many other tragedies across the country. He was one of the first Americans selected by the Kuwait government to assist them in the aftermath of the Gulf War and continues to assist schools, agencies, community based programs and professionals responding to the far too many daily traumas children experience that rarely receive media attention.