"When trauma occurs early in life, children do not develop the capacity to regulate their experience: to calm themselves down when they're upset, to soothe themselves, to interact in appropriate ways with other people, to learn from their behavior." Margaret Blaustein, PhD

The impact of abuse and neglect on children - on their behaviors, on their sense of self, and on their capacity to form attachments with new caregivers - can pose challenges for foster and adoptive parents, as well as for teachers and other professionals.

In this series, therapists Margaret Blaustein, Joyanna Silberg, Frances Waters, and Sandra Wieland describe how traumatized children understand the world and interact with others differently from other children, and how adults can respond most effectively. They explore such topics as anger and anxiety, trauma triggers, dissociation, de-escalation strategies, grounding techniques, and the process of building a trusting relationship. Their observations are reinforced by the accounts of parents, teachers, and former foster children. The presenters emphasize the importance of understanding what drives traumatized children's behaviors, rather than simply reacting to them. They provide concrete suggestions for stabilizing traumatized children and improving adult/child interactions.

"Deep down, kids all want the same stuff. They all want to be loved, they all want a family. And they all want to know why they didn't have a family and they weren't loved. They're trying to figure out why everything happened to them and can it ever be okay - so that they can say to themselves, 'It will be okay, and I can relax, and these people aren't going to hurt me.' Robert Kendall, former foster child

There are three programs in the series:

UNDERSTANDING THE TRAUMATIZED CHILD, 44 minutes
Former foster children, parents, teachers, and therapists discuss the variety of ways in which children may be traumatized, and describe the impact of trauma on the way children view themselves and others.

Topics:
Incidence and types of trauma
Effects of trauma on children
The "fight, flight, or freeze" response
Sense of self in traumatized children
Bouncing through the foster care system
Disordered attachment in traumatized children
Hypervigilance and other behaviors in traumatized children
Dissociation and triggers in traumatized children
Trauma re-enactments in traumatized children
Helping traumatized children heal

"When he got in trouble he would start stuffing stuff into a paper bag, saying he needed to leave. And it really did take a good year before he accepted the fact that we weren't going to give him away even when he was bad" Kathleen Molaro, adoptive mother

PARENTING THE TRAUMATIZED CHILD, 45 minutes
Therapists and foster and adoptive parents, along with former foster children, examine the particular challenges in caring for severely traumatized children.

Topics:
Behaviors encountered by parents
Grounding and de-escalation
Problems with attachment in traumatized children
Traumatized children's nightmares
Environment and structure for traumatized children
Boundaries and time outs for traumatized children
Developing trust in traumatized children
Working with therapists
Burnout, respite, and self-care

"The first thing you have to provide for them is a safe, comfortable environment. Number one, they need to develop a feeling of trust and comfort and security. And it needs to go for a long period of time - it's got to be something that they can count on day in and day out" Dale Latimer, high school teacher

TEACHING THE TRAUMATIZED CHILD, 45 minutes
This program combines guidance from therapists with the real-world insights of classroom teachers and former foster children.

Topics:
Traumatized children's behavior at different ages
Escalation and de-escalation
Bullying of traumatized children
Structure and rules for traumatized children
Flexibility and trust
Friends and socialization
Value of team approach with traumatized children
Adjunctive programs for traumatized children
Vicarious traumatization and self-care

***Includes a PROGRAM GUIDE which includes two chapters from Richard Kagan's book, Rebuilding Attachments with Traumatized Children: Healing from Losses, Violence, Abuse, and Neglect (Haworth Press, 2004).

Chapter 4, "Breaking the Curse", discusses myths that perpetuate abuse and neglect, the criminal justice system, removal of children from the home, the need for more than a loving home, obstacles to rebuilding attachments, strengthening families, and parenting as commitment.

Chapter 6, "Re-parenting the Hurt Child", discusses community support, counter-transference, misbehavior, developing trust, giving directions, choices and consequences, life skills, affect management, matching children and families, reality-based expectations, and psychotropic medications.

The program guide also includes an annotated bibliography, with sections on child development and trauma, parenting skills, curriculum materials, and websites.