Plan Ahead for These Holidays that Can Trigger Trauma Responses We often don’t give a second thought to celebrations of Mother’s and Father’s Day. Bouquets of flowers and brunch for mom or a nice tie and a barbeque with dad are commonplace. It’s also common for schools to have children create art for their parents in celebration of these days to give as a gift to their mom or dad. But not everyone is a fan of these family holidays. In fact, these days can stir up some uncomfortable emotions and feelings for those who have experienced family conflict, childhood trauma, or the loss of a parent ..read more

How to Help Your Child Work Through Repressed Trauma and Heal Trauma can stick with us if we don’t work through it. Often, traumatic experiences in our childhood can be so overwhelming and threatening that many children (and even adults) repress those memories and feelings to protect themselves.  Unfortunately, more than two-thirds of children in the United States experience a traumatic event by the time they turn 16. These types of adverse experiences can include: Natural disasters Community violence Sexual abuse Physical abuse Emotional abuse Neglect  Serious illness for the child ..read more

Motivating the Seemingly Unmotivated Student Teachers deal with students of all kinds, from high academic performers to students who struggle. You may have students who behave well and participate readily and those who seem like they are constantly disrupting class. But what about those students who lie somewhere in the middle? You probably have students who quietly comply with classroom procedures, but they seem spacey, tuned out, or don’t readily participate in classroom discussion. These students often are seen as doing enough to pass while not creating trouble. The worst they might do is ..read more

6 Tips for Becoming a Better Advocate for Your Child While a school’s purpose is to help educate your child, it’s important to remember that a single school is dealing with hundreds of students each day. That is why it is so important for parents to be their child’s best advocate in the school system.  Whether your child has a learning disability or has experienced childhood trauma, advocating for your child in the school system will help ensure that your child is given the accommodations and treatment needed for them to do their best each and every day at school! Here are some tips to he ..read more

The Emotional Effects of Adverse Childhood Events Traumatic and stressful experiences, in essence, leave behind a scar in our mind. When something scary or traumatic happens to us, it’s hard to forget how it made us feel. Today we are going to look at prolonged trauma and stress (such as childhood trauma), and the possible trauma and stress related disorders that can result from those experiences.  What is Childhood Trauma? Childhood trauma is when a child experiences or witnesses an event or events that are frightening, dangerous, or violent. These events, called adverse childhood exper ..read more

The Science Behind the Teenage Mind Often when adults talk about today’s teenagers, you hear complaints that today’s teens are worse than when they were young. But practically every generation has said that about younger generations. Even Socrates bemoaned about the young people of his day, decrying their bad manners and disrespect for authority. Sound familiar?  The Disconnect Difficulties with teens are far from being a new issue, and there is a scientific reason for this. While teens, especially toward the end of high school, look like adults, their brains are still not fully mature ..read more

Signs of Emotional Abuse in Children and How to Support Their Healing Journey Emotional trauma, or emotional abuse, is just one kind of trauma or abuse one can suffer from. Sometimes it can be difficult to spot the warning signs in the children under your care. However, it is crucial to know these signs so that you can help support children with emotional trauma in a more effective way. Let’s take a look at what is considered emotional trauma, the various types of emotional abuse, and the steps you can take to support children with trauma and guide them toward healing.  What is Emotional ..read more

How to Minimize Disruptive Behaviors in Students When student behaviors disrupt your class, it can be difficult to know how to respond. However, there is science behind these disruptive behaviors and there are some interventions you can use to help the disruptive student, as well as the rest of your class.  The Science Behind Disruptive Behaviors Students (and adults) never engage in disruptive (dysregulated) behaviors seemingly out of the blue. There is something that triggers these behaviors and these triggers, or stressors, are unique and often unknown even to the person experiencing t ..read more

The Positive Impact of Personal Power in Young Adults Personal power and independence is what helps us get through life. It helps us feel empowered to advocate for ourselves and take control of our own destiny and affect positive change in our lives and the lives of others. However, for teens with childhood trauma, they often feel as if they have no control over their own lives, leading to negative consequences. What is Personal Power? Personal power is simply the ability to influence others to make things happen. It is more than just having control over your own life. It can make a positive d ..read more

How to Recognize Toxic Family Dynamics As the holidays are approaching, maybe you’re wondering, “Why don’t I get excited for extended family gatherings? Is there something wrong with me? Am I an unloving person?” Maybe, but maybe not. We grow up in the families we were given and those interactions become our norm. Perhaps you leave family gatherings feeling criticized, controlled, or manipulated. These can be signs of toxic family dynamics.   Toxic family dynamics can have lasting effects, often in the form of childhood trauma. This results in emotional, psychological, and physical s ..read more