Using Psychoeducation to Help Providers and Caregivers Understand Early Childhood Trauma - casebook

Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child. Caring for young children who have experienced trauma and toxic stress is a formidable task, leaving many caregivers confused, burnt out and helpless. Many of us in the helping professions interface with these young children and their families every day, putting us in a unique position to support these families as well as those in other caregiving roles – foster parents, relatives providing kinship care, and early childhood educators – through psychoeducation that can shift the conversation from what’s wrong with a child to what’s happened to a child.

The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception. The National Children’s Alliance estimates that in 2021, more than 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in the United States and more than 7 million children were involved with child protective services across the country. The NCA also reports that our youngest children are the most vulnerable, with 15% of reported victims experiencing abuse and neglect within the first year of life and that 28% of abuse and neglect victims are under two. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, it’s estimated that over half of all children aged 2-5 have experienced a sever stressor in their lifetime, including exposure to parental substance use and mental health issues, domestic violence, community violence, disrupted attachment, and neglect. Providing this information to foster parents, kinship caregivers, early childhood educators and other providers who come into contact with young children can help frame early childhood as a time to keep a watchful eye and the importance of always considering developmental trauma when we’re wondering what might be causing certain behaviors or developmental issues. Having a basic understanding of the numbers also reinforces for caregivers and providers the importance of trauma-informed caregiving as the rule rather than the exception.

Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding. Despite the prevalence of early childhood trauma in the United States, acknowledging that bad things can happen to young children remains a difficult thing. Many of the families I’ve worked with over the years in my work as a clinical social worker have been hopeful their child would forget about the trauma they experienced or that their young age would serve as a protective factor. The hard truth, however, is that age does not provide a buffer against the impact of trauma. This is something Bessel Van der Kolk, MD, discusses this in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What Van der Kolk means by the phrase “the body keeps the score” is that the body always remembers what the brain may not. Our bodies hold on to the imprint of trauma, fear, and the other physiological sensations we experience in those moments; they are stored within our muscles. Because bodily memories are created from the emotional and physiological sensations experienced during traumatic events, young children, despite not having developed the ability to visually recall what happened to them or the words to associate with the traumatic event, may experience the fight, flight, or freeze response when triggered and have no idea why. This can be confusing and frustrating for everyone involved because it’s not always obvious that a young child is exhibiting a trauma response nor is it always obvious what the trigger was. Many of the children providers come into contact with have experienced chronic trauma and toxic stress and because of this, their body’s alarm system is constantly in work mode, dumping cortisol and adrenaline into their nervous system, even when they are safe. An easy way to explain this is to compare the body’s alarm system to a sensitive smoke detector – there is the appearance of danger when there’s no real risk. In providing psychoeducation around early childhood trauma, providers can start supporting the necessary shift in conversation with caregivers from what’s wrong to what’s happened, making the invisible backpacks young children carry to foster homes, kinship placements, reunifications with biological parents and early childhood settings easier to recognize and replacing confusion, burnout and helplessness with compassion, empathy and understanding.