HELPING KIDS THRIVE BEYOND TRAUMA

Support, educate, and communicate with kids who have experienced childhood trauma by
forming strong relationships and helping them build the skills they need to navigate life.

Individual registration and group licenses available.

Does your child have trouble adjusting to new environments, 
coping with stress, managing academic expectations, or regulating emotions? 

According to the American Psychological Association, a significant number of children in American society are exposed to traumatic life events. Trauma during childhood not only affects children's behavior, but also their ability to learn, cope with stress, and form healthy, positive relationships with others. If traumatic experiences are ignored and left unaddressed or when trauma-sensitive care is lacking, children retain poor coping strategies that can negatively impact their long-term mental, physical, and emotional health.

Children who have experienced chronic stress or trauma often lag behind their peers in areas such as academics, self-regulation, and social skills.

They may -

• appear unfocused or inattentive
• have trouble remembering or following directions
• seem defiant, inflexible, or uncooperative 
• withdraw and resist connecting with peers or loved ones

Parents, teachers, and caregivers may mistakenly assume that these children need firmer discipline or more structure.

In reality, they are struggling with powerful fears, feelings of disconnection, anxiety, and/or sensory overload which they are unable to manage alone.

This is where ONE STRONG RELATIONSHIP can make all the difference.

As the parent, teacher, or caregiver of a traumatized child, you have been presented with a unique set of challenges. If you want to help a child heal from a painful or frightening past, you must not only learn to tolerate the child's sensitivity to normal stress, but also learn to manage your own reactivity.


Children who have experienced toxic stress may:   

• be fearful, anxious or display repeated negative behaviors in response to stress
  
  
• suffer from impairments/deficits in emotional/cognitive processing and awareness
  
  
• have one or more diagnoses (ADHD, SPD, ASD, FAS etc.)
  
  

You may feel unprepared to handle the intensity of your child's behaviors. You may be worried that without consequences, the apparent lack of motivation, disruptive behavior, or explosions of anger (which seem to appear without cause) will never stop.

If you have not been taught to understand how the brain adapts to stressful situations or how negative behaviors like inflexibility, resistance, yelling, and emotionally shutting down previously kept a child safe, behavioral change can be difficult to achieve. 

This series will show you how relationship and compassion for a child's experience can be a catalyst for healing - prompting the brain to "catch-up" and strengthen the child's skills.

Children have the potential to thrive beyond trauma - if you focus on the three key areas of support outlined in this program.

TRAUMA-SENSITIVE MODEL OF CARE  

1.  SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS
2.  STRESS MANAGEMENT
3.  SKILL DEVELOPMENT

The goal of this web-based training program is to provide parents, caregivers, and other adults who work with children with a new understanding of behavior along with the resources, community, and a model of discipline that addresses the unique attachment needs of children with trauma histories. 

In these on-demand lessons, you'll learn strategies for effective communication which will build executive function skills such as planning, thoughtfulness, attention, and self-regulation. You'll learn tools to improve family relationships, increase motivation, and strengthen your bond - creating influence that lasts.

Brain development 
Connecting rituals
Conscious communication tools
Peaceful conflict resolution 

Routines are highlighted to help you learn to create safe spaces which enhance emerging skills such as empathy and problem-solving and promote your child's social-emotional competence.

You'll learn how to focus on working with a child’s emotional age and developmental stage rather than chronological age (which can appear vastly different) while targeting specific school and family issues and communication difficulties you may be facing. 

Community support is provided in our online forums where you can connect with fellow parents and professionals.

As a parent, caregiver, educator or staff member you will learn to:  

• Create behavioral change through a trusting relationship with your child.
• Address the root cause of behavior without anger or punitive consequences.
• Feel competent and capable of handling your child's stress + school challenges.
• Build upon current skills and emerging capacities with our state-stress-skills model.
• Teach respectful communication which builds influence.
  
  

Children will learn to:

• Feel and understand the purpose of their feelings.
• Heal the pain from past experiences.
• Self-regulate their emotions and behaviors.
• Problem-solve peacefully and cooperatively.
• Expand their tolerance for frustration.
• Form healthy relationships with peers and adults.
• Build skills which help them focus, learn, and remember.
  
  

1. Immediate access to on-demand audio/video lessons  + transcripts for self-paced learning.
2. Companion workbook with activities and exercises to help you implement the concepts.
3. Private Facebook Group to share stories and connect with others in the community.
   
   

THE TRAUMA CONNECTION: Understanding the Mind of a Foster Child

In this recorded online session, you will learn:

• How trauma affects behavior, and shapes development, and informs the child's ability to self-regulate.
• Strategies for using storytelling and play to decode behavior and calm persistent fears.
• Rituals and routines that promote connection and increase positive behaviors at home and in school.
• How to recognize and engage a child stuck in fear-mode and help them adapt to change and obstacles with more ease.

HELPING KIDS ADAPT, COPE, & CATCH-UP: Trauma & Brain Development

In this recorded online session, you will learn:

• What the brain needs to grow new connections and make long-term changes in behavior.
• To help kids manage their emotions through your connection - instead of consequences.
• How the senses can become easily overwhelmed causing inflexibility and negative behaviors.
• How the body is triggered into fight or flight and how to stop the alarm system with mindfulness.
• Tools for creating connection, building positive coping skills, and learning to tolerate difficult times.

ATTACHMENT MATTERS: Changing Behavior through Relationship

In this recorded online session, you will learn:

• How to use discipline that doesn't create disconnection and resentment.
• How healthy attachment promotes positive behaviors and reduces stress in the whole family.
• How to promote a secure emotional connection by removing judgment and evaluations from your language.
• How to help children build caring relationships with adults and peers.

MANAGING YOUR ANGER & STRESS: Helping You Cope with Challenges

In this recorded online session, you will learn: 

• How to communicate with an angry, sensitive or resistant child.
• Why we get angry and how we can use anger to make necessary changes in our lives.
• Why knowing your family history will help you teach/parent children more effectively.
• What you need to set-up a safe environment that provides tools for kids to manage their anger.
• To implement a program of daily self-care to help you shift your perspective and stay emotionally available.
• How to set personal boundaries for your mental, emotional and, physical well-being.

CONSCIOUS COMMUNICATION: How to Talk to Kids

In this recorded online session, you will learn: 

• Why kids "don’t listen" and what you can do to make sure your limits and requests are heard.
• How to view behavior through a non-judgmental lens and support children as they practice new skills.
• How to express care and concern without trying to control or force your child to change.
• A 4-step framework for trauma-sensitive communication that eliminates arguing, negotiation, and permissiveness.

EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN: Building Resilience with Empathy

In this recorded online session, you will learn: 

• How emotional, mental or physical trauma shapes a child’s perspective of the world and others.
• Tools for using empathy to connect and heal misunderstandings and navigate conflict.
• Strategies for accessing compassion and strengthening empathy in children.
• What to do when empathy seems like it isn’t "working" and how to talk to your child's teachers.
  
  

ENROLL NOW** INDIVIDUAL USER All digital sales are final, please purchase with care.	ENROLL NOW** GRADE 1|GRADE 2|GRADE 3 All digital sales are final, please purchase with care.

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**Terms of Use
Individual registration, and group licenses and connected user accounts are provided for a term of one year from the original date of purchase and automatically expire at the end of the term. Individual registration is for personal, home use ONLY. Your group license purchase creates a limited license to use and present the Helping Kids Thrive Beyond Trauma course and course materials ONLY to small groups associated with your organization.  After you complete your payment, please log in to your student dashboard and and visit the "Getting Started Tab" in the virtual classroom to access your course. All digital sales are final, please purchase with care. 

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