Reparenting the Child Who Hurts: A Guide to Healing Developmental Trauma and Attachments

Reparenting the Child Who Hurts equips parents and primary carers with the knowledge and skills to be able to respond to children's changing needs as they move through childhood. In clear, approachable language, it explains the impact of early trauma on the neuro-biological development of children, and provides clear guidance for foster and adoptive parents.

By using simple visual metaphors, Caroline Archer and Christine Gordon explain neurobiological processes in terms that are easily understood and remembered: of building a house (with the brain having 'storeys'), and of reparenting techniques being similar to the process of knitting. Within the second metaphor, they explain how we learn how to parent according to the 'patterns' we have inherited, and how children who have experienced early trauma and developed the 'wrong patterns' need careful 're-stitching'. This book aims to provide parents and carers with a full understanding of the issues behind children's behaviour, and in doing so to become better 'regulators' of their own and their children's physiological and emotional environments.

Reparenting the Child Who Hurts is a humane, no-nonsense survival guide for any parent caring for a child with developmental trauma or attachment difficulties, and will also provide information and insights for social workers, teachers, counsellors and other professionals involved in supporting adoptive and foster families.

Table of Contents

Part 1. Stepping Forward: Understanding the Foundations.

1. Knitting Your Kid! Patterns of Knitting and Nurturing.
2. Fitting the Pieces Together.

Part 2. What Can We Do?

3. Key Concepts.
4. Information: The Need to Know.
5. Laying the Foundations: Co-regulation for Self-regulation.
6. Rocking and Rolling.
7. Seeing Eye to Eye.
8. Object Permanence and Constancy.
9. Talking, Telling, Timing.
10. Loose Connections.
11. The Child Within the Child.
12. Taking, Borrowing and Difficulties with the Truth.
13. Making Changes, Managing Changes.
14. Special Occasions.
15. Holidays.
16. Siblings.
17. Taking Care of Ourselves.
18. Getting Help.

Appendices.

Glossary.

Index.