Trauma Considerations

Understanding Childhood Trauma: Ten Reminders for Preventing Retraumatization

@many useful, different trauma definitions
Trauma can be defined as an emotional reaction to a recognizable stressor that will be qualitatively different for different people (Rowling, 2008; Weathers & Keane, 2007)

(1) Recognize that events do not have to be extreme to be traumatic  

• Single traumatic events, also known as acute trauma or Type I events (Bath, 2008), are “short-term, unexpected, single incidents, and quick recovery is more likely from this type of trauma exposure” 
• Complex traumatic events, also known as Type II events (Bath, 2008) or polytraumatization (Gustafsson, Nilsson, & Svedin, 2009), are more “prolonged, chronic, or repetitive experiences” and are more likely to involve “severe stress reactions and difficulty with adjustment”

(2) Understand that crises often co-occur

(3) Provide safety, connection, emotional regulation

• Routine, reliability & predictability in engagement with others, availability of adult support, age-appropriate language

(4) Provide supportive relationships

• Affect stability + model calmness & composure
• Teach social skills to teachers - students - family
• consider the ramifications of helping the child establish relationships with the offender

(5) Promote self-regulation

• Debrief: support children to name feelings related to trauma
• Recognize symptoms --> deep breathing or muscle relaxation
• Co-regulation: code-word for when child is overwhelmed, assist him or her in a self-calming exercise, use active listening and help the child understand the nature of the problem, label the feeling, and develop a coping strategy for future occurrences
• Let child sign-off on an experience
• thought-stopping techniques, positive imagery, positive self-talk, psychosocial education, small-group counselling
• All can be implemented & monitored by children. Can be short.

(6) Encourage autonomy (child may cling to & depend on adults more after trauma)

• "One-downmanship" - maximize appreciation of child's contribution to a task, minize adult's role
• Give small tasks, collaborative decision making

(7) Emphasize the positive 

• congratulating survivorship and affirming self-worth
• identifying growth, positive change, or healthy choices

(8) Appreciate the human capacity for resilience

(9) Offer support through time: check-in with children, sustained, commit to further learning

(10) House helpful resources on site: ACE risk assessment, research local outpatient agencies and clinicians, invite community agencies to a meet-and-greet- and roundtable discussion to learn about specialties provided, organize a comprehensive spreadsheet with specific contact information for the clinicians and agencies, and disseminate this information to helping professionals and personnel within the school or local school district