Trauma Response
Natural Disasters. Navigating Foster Care. Losing a loved one. Violence. Abuse and neglect. Serious accidents. Deployment and terrorism. Life threatening illness. School shootings. Divorce. These are just a few of the many faces of childhood trauma.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines childhood trauma as “The experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects.” Nearly half of all children in the United States are exposed to at least one traumatic social or family experience (Bethell et al, 2014).
Every child responds to trauma differently. These responses can include depressive or anxious symptoms, behavioral changes, developmental and milestone regression, nightmares, difficulty eating, or physical pain. Other common reactions to trauma include poor emotional regulation, inattention in school, and the development of unhealthy attachment styles to friends, family, and strangers.
When children aren’t given opportunities to process trauma in healthy ways, they become more vulnerable to experiencing mistrust in others, shame around their emotions, self-destructive behaviors, and living life in survival mode.
Soul Skills offers immediate, on scene, and ongoing services in response to any type trauma. Our team is here to provide your entire family with trauma informed care built on the foundation of safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment. As Child Life and Trauma Specialists, we are intensely trained on de-escalation strategies; which allow us to diffuse a situation while protecting the psycho-social needs of children experiencing trauma. Each of us specialize in genuinely connecting with children in their most vulnerable moment. Our ability to build immediate rapport and foster a sense of safety allows us to actively avoid re-traumatization. We will help your children establish healthy habits through teaching positive and meaningful coping skills.
Our multi-disciplinary team will also help those impacted by trauma re-acclimate to normalcy in academic and social settings. We do so by collaborating with teachers, guidance counselors, sports coaches, and extended family. Through our innovative model of healing, our team at Soul Skills can help your children thrive despite challenging or unimaginable circumstances!
Testimonials
“The entire team at Soul Skills responded to a traumatic accident to provide bereavement support. Over the past six months they have built such strong therapeutic bonds with each child in our family, ranging from 3 to 17. They helped them understand and cope with an unimaginable loss. The Specialists brought an unparalleled level of hope and empathy to our entire family during our most vulnerable moments. They collaborated closely with our child’s teachers to rebuild trust and safety. As parents who are also grieving a major loss, Sara and Kat went above and beyond to coach us through different ways to engage in self care and model positive coping strategies for our children. We are blown away with how far each of the children have come. We owe our children’s resiliency and progress to the skillset and heart that each of those specialists exemplify in every therapeutic interaction.”