This open textbook for Concepts of Fitness and Wellness at Georgia Highlands College was created through a Round Seven ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Readers will learn about the nature of health, health education, health promotion and related concepts. This will help to understand the social, psychological and physical components of health.

The Introduction to Psychology course was developed through the Ohio Department of Higher Education OER Innovation Grant. This work was completed and the course was posted in September 2018. The course is part of the Ohio Transfer Module and is also named OSS015. For more information about credit transfer between Ohio colleges and universities please visit: www.ohiohighered.org/transfer.Team LeadVincent Granito                                    Lorain County Community CollegeContent ContributorsNicole Brandt                                       Columbus State Community CollegeLynne Gabriel                                      Lakeland Community CollegeJackie Sample                                     Central Ohio Technical CollegeLibrarianRachel Dilley                                       Columbus State Community CollegeReview TeamMelissa Beers                                      Ohio State UniversityBryan Gerber                                        Stark State College

How to Use this GuideThis guide provides information and resources on introducing the field of psychology as a science in an Introduction to Psychology course.  All resources are Open Access and can be downloaded or added to a Course Management System (LMS) via the hyperlinks.IntroductionThis section covers the topic of Stress and Health. Following the Ohio TAG Guidelines, Stress and Health falls within Pillar 5: Mental and Physical Health (e.g., Abnormal, Health, Therapies). As an instructor, making the connections between physical and mental health you can strengthen the connection between the units within this pillar while emphasizing  the reciprocal influences of biological, psychological, and social/interpersonal/situational factors in health and wellness.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Differentiate between stimulus-based and response-based definitions of stress
Define stress as a process
Differentiate between good stress and bad stress
Describe the early contributions of Walter Cannon and Hans Selye to the stress research field
Understand the physiological basis of stress and describe the general adaptation syndrome

This textbook represents the combined insight and experience of Morton, a k12 educator, and Berardi, a psychotherapist, both of whom are also university educators with extensive work experience serving districts and their teachers seeking to incorporate trauma-informed principles into their school culture and classroom. The authors identify that the field of education is now ready to deepen its level of response to the paradigm shift created by advances in neuroscience and traumatology. Hence, the primary focus is on identifying and applying trauma-informed educator competencies needed to transform districts, schools, educators, classrooms, and the field of education itself, while also including community members such as parents and board members in these processes - a total system makeover. At the conclusion of this text, the student, educator, or mental health professional will have a deeper understanding of what trauma-informed practice requires of them. This includes practical strategies on how to transform our learning communities in response to the devastating effect of unmitigated stress and trauma on our student's ability to learn and thrive throughout the lifespan.