4 REASONS PARENTING TRAUMA IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT by Monica The Emerging Mama

Source: http://emergingmama.com

We were well into the third year of our family’s new normal, before I had come to the realization that things really were different for us. That no, all kids really don’t do this-whatever “this” may mean at the moment-and that we were not imagining the stress. We were not imagining the frustration. It took nearly four years to accept that the challenges we were facing couldn’t simply be dealt with by working harder or doing more. It took nearly four years to come to terms with the fact that living in a family with children who have experienced early childhood trauma(s) can be an isolating, lonely, and oddly enough traumatizing endeavor, with very unique and difficult challenges. So few on the outside can understand what it’s like to live inside our walls. That is not to suggest whatever is inside our neighbor’s walls is more or less difficult, just different perhaps. Below is my imperfect attempt to give words to some of our family’s daily struggles.

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NCFA Releases Adoption Advocate No. 61: The Healing Power of "Giving Voice"

Source: NCFA Releases Adoption Advocate No. 61: The Healing Power of “Giving Voice”

Children coming from situations of trauma, abuse, or neglect often experience the loss of their "voice" -- their ability to voice their needs in a healthy way and trust that they will be met. Interventions for children from the "hard places" must include restoring voice, which in turn encourages trust, healing, and attachment. In the July 2013 issue of NCFA's Adoption Advocate, Drs. Karyn Purvis and David Cross explore what the loss of voice means for children, and how appropriate interventions and therapies can allow them  to give voice to their needs and experience healing within a safe, nurturing family. The article includes a brief list of recommended skills and strategies for parents and caregivers.

Click here to download the PDF of Adoption Advocate No. 61 or click here to view the web version.

Attachment and Trauma in Early Childhood Presented by: Charles Zeanah, MD

Young children who experience serious adversity are at risk for long-term health and mental health difficulties. Serious adversity may result from absence of expectable environmental responsiveness, as in neglect and deprivation, or from presence of toxic stressors such as abuse or witnessing violence. In this session, we will consider both aspects of adversity, their effects on young children, and use in-depth case presentations to illustrate treatment approaches.

Dr. Charles Zeanah is the Sellars-Polchow Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Tulane University. He is also the Executive Director of the Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health.

Dr. Zeanah’s academic interest has been in the area of infant mental health, particularly in understanding infants' development in the context of the infant-parent relationships. He conducts research on the effects of abuse, neglect, serious deprivation and exposure to violence on young children and on interventions designed to help them recover.

http://www.infantinstitute.org