When children experience trauma — whether through loss, conflict, sudden change, or chronic stress — their developing minds and bodies can hold onto those experiences in ways that shape how they see themselves and the world. Trauma can affect emotional regulation, concentration, relationships, and a child’s sense of safety. Sometimes these effects show up as anxiety, irritability, withdrawal, or physical symptoms without an obvious cause.
It can be very overwhelming and exhausting when you feel powerless to help your child overcome challenges they might be facing. Whether it is difficulty with developmental tasks, transitions, emotional regulation, attachment, developing healthy relationships, trauma, loss – children need a caring and understanding space that provides containment for the exploration of all those complex emotions they might not be able to name yet. Not only children – but caregivers as well. It can feel destabilizing for the caregivers and family to need to ask for and seek help when going through a difficult time with your child.
In my approach with children and caregivers, I strike a balance between attending to the differing needs of the caregivers, child, and family as a whole. I cultivate a private and safe space for the child to work through, process, name, accept, and learn different skills pertaining to the traumatic experience. That is usually done through a mix of play therapy, art therapy, storytelling, practicing scenarios and new skills, learning boundaries and kindness for themselves, processing through and letting go of any guilt, and being freely able to express emotion. I am also mindful about providing a non-judgmental confidential space for the caregivers only: so they can express concerns and fears, understand how this situation is affecting them, honor their victories and failures as important parts of the process, and learn skills for their mental well-being as well as the child’s. We also will often have family sessions, in which caregivers and child will come together in a mediated space to learn about and listen to one another.
