When you think of the word trauma, what comes to mind? A car accident? Death of a loved one? Certainly these are traumatic incidents, especially when they happen to young kids. Trauma is not limited to a single event, though. Sometimes we have too narrow a view of trauma which prevents us from understanding the realities of the children we work with.

 
Trauma can also include what is referred to as “toxic stress” – the ongoing stress that accompanies poverty, violence in the home, physical, sexual or emotional abuse or relying on a caregiver with mental illness or a drug or alcohol problem. Children who grow up with toxic stress also suffer the devastating effects of trauma.
 
The concept of trauma is now entering the education and mental health fields in a more significant way, as more and more research is done and we develop a greater understanding of its effects on children.
 
We’ll be dedicating some time to trauma here on the blog. We hope to give you a greater understanding of trauma and how it might be affecting the children you work with. We will share strategies that can help children in these circumstances self-regulate and ultimately thrive.
 
If you have a specific question about trauma, please leave a comment and we will do our best to address it!
 
We know that trauma can be a difficult topic, but the more we understand about it, the better we’ll be able to help kids who might be flying under the radar. So stay with us, and hopefully we’ll all have a greater awareness as we work with children.
 
© 2015 Momentous Institute