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Healing Trauma in Children: A practical guide for foster and kinship carers

$29.95  Paperback
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Sonia Kennedy Australian author

  • Healing Trauma in Children

172 pages
2021
ISBN: 9781925644531

Most children in care do not settle quickly and can become disruptive, affecting the entire family. Many carers are unprepared for the level of support and intensive focus and effort that these children need. Research tells us that children with traumatic and chaotic backgrounds have difficulty regulating their emotions. They lack the cortical capacity to efficiently process their thoughts and feelings, making it hard for them to change their behaviour to fit into their new life. Typical parenting strategies may not work.

But help is at hand.

Healing Trauma in Children aims to help carers understand trauma and its impact on the vulnerable child they are caring for. A carer’s role is not just parenting; it is about having the ability to teach children the skills to manage their reactions. As opposed to a text heavy on theory, this book is designed so that you can access information quickly when you need it for specific situations that arise. Most importantly, it offers detailed solutions and strategies for day-to-day emergencies as well as more long-term solutions. It is not about medication; it’s not about behaviour management plans, punishment, judgement, or diagnosis. It is about developing a carer’s awareness, kindness, compassion, patience, strength, and education.

It is difficult to understand how much trauma some children have suffered. No-one can take away the traumatic experiences a child has lived through. What carers need to do is teach the child how to live with their memories and their symptoms — it is their story. Help them manage their future, so the past trauma doesn’t take over and control their life.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

About the Author

What this book is about

I. Background Briefing

  1. An introduction to trauma
    • Types of trauma
    • How trauma impacts a child’s development
  2. A bit about biology
    • The brain
    • The central nervous system
  3. A bit about grief and loss
    • Grieving for the family
    • The stages of grief
    • Applying these stages to children
    • ‘Tools of the trade’ for helping

II. A Quick Go-to Guide

  1. Sleep
  2. Calm down strategies for emotions
    • Anger
    • Anxiety
    • Withdrawal and Sadness
  3. Social skills
  4. Attachment
  5. Family contact
  6. Toilet issues (yeek!)
  7. Eating habits
  8. Lying and stealing
  9. Sexualised behaviour

III. Diving in Deeper

  1. Boundaries and routines — longer term strategies
    • Diet
    • Hygiene
    • Sexualised behaviour
    • Healthy relationships
    • Consequences and planning for healthy changes
  2. Self-esteem
    • Self-esteem development
    • Identity and culture
    • Life story work

IV. Looking After Yourself

  1. Care for carers
    • Keeping sane — strategies for self-care
    • Vicarious trauma
    • A bit about biological children

VI. Further Support

  1. Tools of the trade
  2. Further resources
    • A bit about eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
    • A bit about neurofeedback and biofeedback

Books

Websites

Glossary of Terms