Tagged With "foster parents"

Take an age-based approach to discussing news of school shootings with kids. "School shootings" are two words no parent ever wants to hear in the same sentence. But news of these tragic events is now so familiar, the topic is unavoidable. Unlike other conversations you have with your kids about scary stuff in the news , talks about school shootings are much more emotional, for both you and your kids. Add in the facts that kids as young as 5 are practicing active-shooter drills at school, and...

By: David Schonfeld, MD, FAAP After any disaster or crisis, families struggle with what they should say to children and how to help them cope. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents, teachers, child care providers, and others who work closely with children to filter information about the event and present it in a way that their child can understand, adjust to and handle in a healthy way. Where to start No matter what age or developmental stage your child is, you can...

Register Here Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - 9:00am - 3:30pm PST Children's Institute in partnership with the UCLA Pritzker Center brings you the 2023 Trauma-Informed Care Conference. This year's Trauma-Informed Care Conference will focus on creating a culture of wellness & prevention for children, families & community. We are particularly excited about a discussion with California's Surgeon General, Diana Ramos, MD, and UCLA Professor of Psychiatry, Eraka Bath, MD, moderated by LAist...

Consider taking Halloween off. For many children, Halloween is an exciting and fun time of year. For children who have experienced trauma, it may look a little different. Images and decorations portraying death or blood can be frightening for children who may have been physically harmed, seen someone be seriously injured, or in some other way had their life threatened. On top of this, not being able to identify safe people because their appearance has been altered for the holiday can be...

A difficult past need not define you, nor determine your future. We explore three paths to building a satisfying life after hardship in childhood.

At the Family Trauma Institute, we define “interactional trauma” as the constant conflict between parent and child (drama = trauma) that leads to resentment, bitterness, and lost attachment. Often, the quickest way to heal this type of deep trauma is through the child or adolescent’s love language. Each child has a special one. For some it's “words of affirmation” and for others “quality time”. But our parents often have no clue what it is or why it’s so important. Therefore, both counselors...

A difficult past need not define you, nor determine your future. We explore three paths to building a satisfying life after hardship in childhood.

What gives me hope is that we have agency in this. We can make eye contact or provide physical touch, if those are appropriate and feel comfortable; we can be kind, we can bring intention to building connection – it all has ripple effects. And we can put.down.our.phones.!

“While it is helpful to know which populations need additional support to address ACEs and build resilience among children, it is even more important to know why higher risk conditions exist and to address root causes of inequities that increase the risk of ACEs.” (Camacho, S; Henderson, S.C. 2022). Over the past three decades, research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has gained widespread recognition, catalyzing policies and programs, and mobilizing knowledge focused on applying a...