The “form trap” is described as a tendency in social change work to become so focused on external forms such as frameworks, structures and rituals to the extent that one loses sight of the lived, inner experience of those inside the organisation.
Scholars studying this phenomenon argue that real transformation depends not only on what an organisation does, but on how it “feels” and functions. This insight resonates deeply with our own practice at Teachers CAN. The team is constantly reflecting on how our internal ways of working mirror the values we promote in the field. We are learning that to foster genuine community outside, we must mirror that community within the team, embodying the same principles of openness, care and self-reflection that we ask of our teachers.
These principles may not feature in our formal strategy documents, yet they are foundational to how we construct spaces of belonging and maintain relational integrity. They remind us that transformation is as much about process as it is about outcome — and that wellbeing, empathy, and trust are the conditions that make our work possible.
This realisation didn’t happen overnight. In fact, when we first began doing the work of Teachers CAN, creating spaces of care and emotional safety was not something we had set out to do. We had no idea that it would become central to the way we operate.
Over time, through our sessions with teachers across the country, a consistent theme began to surface — wellness, burnout, and the deep impact of lived experiences of trauma on the teachers we worked with.
Today, our Multiplier Programme is more than a professional development initiative — it is a space where teachers are beginning to reflect more deeply on their own wellbeing and how it shapes the way they show up in their classrooms.
Teacher trauma and burnout
Teaching can be a highly stressful profession, especially in South African context with overcrowded classrooms and an unequal and uneven schooling system. This demanding environment has led to alarming levels of teacher stress, burnout and even clinical depression.
Many teachers also experience secondary trauma, the emotional toll of dealing with learners’ trauma, particularly in communities plagued by poverty and violence. These realities underscore an urgent need for trauma-sensitive support systems that bolster teacher wellbeing and resilience.
Professional therapy from qualified psychologists or counsellors is always the ideal intervention for clinical trauma or mental illness. However, there is space for peer-driven, reflective support programmes that create safe, empowering spaces for teachers to process their experiences.
The Multiplier Programme is one such initiative that addresses teacher trauma and wellbeing through a holistic focus on identity development, reflective practice, and community leadership. It provides teachers with structured opportunities for self-reflection, storytelling, mindfulness, and collegial support, all embedded in a broader leadership development journey.
By helping teachers process their experiences, reaffirm their professional identity and purpose, and develop leadership and coping skills, the programme aims to mitigate feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
While the Department of Basic Education has acknowledged that teachers must utilise available psychological services when needed, we see the Multiplier Programme as complementing formal support services, by fostering wellbeing and resilience.
Reflective tools and storytelling
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Multiplier programme is its use of reflective tools and storytelling activities to help teachers process their personal and professional experiences. During the intensive five-day in-person immersion, participants engage in interactive sessions that are not merely skill workshops but also reflective exercises that allow individuals to process and integrate traumatic experiences. In fact, trauma therapies like Narrative Exposure Therapy specifically involve recounting one’s life story to reduce PTSD symptoms by reconciling painful memories. Within a non-clinical setting like the Multiplier Programme, storytelling circles create a safe environment for emotional expression and mutual support. Sharing one’s experiences with attentive, empathetic peers can reduce feelings of shame and isolation often associated with trauma.
Alongside storytelling, the Multiplier Programme incorporates practices to build mindfulness and self-awareness, recognising their benefits for stress reduction. Mindfulness can be as simple as a guided breathing exercise, or a brief reflective pause built into meetings.
By creating structured yet compassionate spaces for such interactions, the programme has helped teachers find “rivers of life” flowing through their struggles; paths of growth, connection, and leadership that turn pain into purpose. In doing so, it helps ensure that those who carry the trauma of our schooling system do not have to carry it alone, and that they have the support to continue the vital work of teaching with dignity.
By Michael Sterksen and Zeenat Hendricks at Teachers CAN
References
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/social_innovation_from_the_inside_out