Parenting in the Trauma Trenches

One of the most profound losses any human can experience is the loss of their parents. All children, including those placed at birth, experience attachment disruptions, the severing of the attachments from their parents and families of origin. The child/teen/adult will be understanding and processing this major life altering event through each developmental stage of their life. Trauma, neglect and multiple attachment disruptions have a significant impact on a child’s social, emotional, cognitive and identity development. Parenting a child who has experienced trauma, loss, and attachment impairments due to foster care and adoption requires additional parenting skills, knowledge, and interventions. Learning the complex skills of identifying what we feel, why we feel it and communicating those feelings to someone who cares, are even more important for a child with complex trauma. Empowering parents with the knowledge and tools they need to strengthen attachment and emotional regulation skills within themselves, and their child requires professionals who see the needs of the whole family. The most powerful therapeutic intervention available to a hurt child is the healing power of unconditional acceptance, nurturance and love inside a family. Parents bring their own childhood histories of attachment and adversity into the intimate emotional dance between parent-child; discover strengths-based and trauma-informed tools to strengthen and empower the family system as the healing mechanism for a hurt child.

Presenter: Allison Davis Maxon, MS, LMFT

Course length: 90 minutes

After attending this session, parents and professionals will be able to…
• Examine the key clinical constructs of relational and developmental trauma and the impacts on child development and a newly formed family system.
• Analyze the seven core issues in adoption and permanency for parents and children and specific tools and activities to address, explore and gain insight into these.
• Apply a developmental lens so that responses, interventions, and treatment are based on developmental needs.
• Describe strengths-based and skill building (non-punitive) tools that allow parents and professionals to therapeutically address the deep wounds of loss, grief, rejection, shame, trauma, grief and emotional isolation.
• Identify the additional developmental tasks for parents who are parenting a child with disrupted attachment, trauma/abuse and missed developmental milestones.
• Explain how parents can learn to identify their own emotional triggers, a process for staying internally regulated, and a tool to practice co-regulation with their child.
• Use attachment facilitating behaviors in response to a child/teen’s emotional distress, crisis or trauma response.

Course level: Intermediate
Certificate type: This course offers a Social Work CE certificate
Credit Type: Clinical CE

Cost to register: $20
If you are a NCFA member, look for your discount code in the membership portal.