How do children heal from trauma? Play therapy and trauma expert, Paris Goodyear-Brown, takes us on a journey through the stories of children from hard places, the neuroscience of play, and the importance of each of us in bearing witness to the hurt. Graphic images may evoke strong emotions but will reveal the amazing ability of children to tell us what happened and play their way to healing. Paris Goodyear-Brown, LCSW, RPT-S, is a child trauma expert and a professional player with 23 years of experience in helping traumatized children and their families heal.
Dr. Joan Kaufman of the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University discusses the different stages of trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy, or TF-CBT, the best evidence-based intervention for children who have impairing reactions to traumatic events. One key insight, she says, is that caregivers and children must work together, and that clear communication and understanding can make all the difference.
Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.