UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA
Helping children and families overcome trauma
Child & Family Services provides trauma informed services to individuals and families of all ages through our behavioral health program.
When appropriate, our counselors utilize a trauma-informed approach to treating children, teens, and adults, recognizing that each person is an individual, with individual strengths and needs. This approach understands that traumatic events can overwhelm a child’s ability to cope and has both immediate and long-term impacts on functioning and behaviors. We can work with you and your child to overcome traumatic experiences and start a path towards healing and growth.
WHAT IS TRAUMA?
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as witnessing or experiencing abuse or neglect, addiction, homelessness, or divorce, have proven to keep a child’s brain from developing properly and increase the liklihood of chronic disease, mental illness, substance abuse, and violence.
Children exhibit the effects of trauma in many different ways, including behavior issues in the classroom and at home, nightmares or sleepwalking, hypervigilance, bed-wetting, delayed developmental milestones, and the inability to regulate their emotions.
We’ve learned that children are not trying to “push our buttons” or be “bad” with their behaviors. They are reacting to triggers they associate with trauma.
WHAT IS TRAUMA INFORMED CARE?
Trauma-informed practices educate and include all stakeholders engaged with a child and his/her family. These interventions go beyond treating the symptoms of trauma and are directed at the relationship between trauma and its consequences.
Over 25% of American youth will experience a serious traumatic event before their 16th birthday.
Around 15% of those who had experienced a serious trauma developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Children in foster care are twice as likely to suffer from PTSD than US war veterans.
Michigan ranks as one of the lowest states (41 out of 50) in incidence of abuse and neglect.
FACTS ON TRAUMA
RESOURCES
Use these resources to learn more about trauma and its effects: