Vol 17, No 3 (2009)

A host of emotional and behavioral problems in children result from complex trauma. Abuse, neglect, violence, and loss disrupt secure bonds leading to terror and utter helplessness. The current diagnostic category of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) does not fit traumatized children whose core problem is a lack of emotional self-regulation. They show a range of symptoms including anxiety, fear, guilt, depression, attention deficits, and oppositional or conduct problems. They are alert to cues of rejection and inadvertently re-enact past pain. Educators, treatment staff, foster parents and family members play important roles in helping these children to heal. Restorative relationships offer trust and the opportunity to explore and reframe past pain in safe environments. Guest editor is Illinois psychologist Dr. Robert Foltz.

Sections

Beasts of No Nation and A Long Way Home

Godfrey M. Mnubi, John H. Hoover

These two powerful books describe first-hand the process of how youngsters in Africa are being socialized to become violent, dangerous boy soldiers and the challenges of reclaiming these traumatized youth. The parallels with boys being recruited into violent youth gangs are strikingly apparent.

The Restorative Justice Center

Julie Ashworth, Steve Van Bockern, Julie Ailts, Jason Donnelly, Kelsey Erickson, Jenna Woltermann

The traditional “stay silent, sit still, do nothing” school detention approach is a punitive and ineffective way to change behavior. It does little to create positive school climates. For children who have been traumatized through fear, isolation, and emotional abuse, poorly managed detention can add to that trauma. A restorative justice approach is a better way.

The Relationship Trauma Crisis

Scott Larson

Delinquency is strongly correlated with disruptions in positive interpersonal connections. Traditional approaches in juvenile justice only exacerbate this disconnection. Promising approaches strengthen bonds with youth and positive adults and peers in their community.

Medicating Relational Trauma in Youth

Robert Foltz

Children who have experienced relational trauma present a host of problems and are often diagnosed with psychiatric disorders and then medicated. But there is evidence that commonly used drugs interfere with oxytocin or vasopressin, the human trust and bonding hormones. Thus, psychotropic drugs may impair interpersonal relationships and impede forming a therapeutic alliance.

Science Discovers the Reclaiming Approach

Darren Brown

Pioneers in reclaiming youth sought to build relationships and environments that responded to the needs of “wayward youth.” Now, neuroscience and trauma research show the primacy of human connections in assessment, treatment, and youth development.

The Three Pillars of Trauma-Informed Care

Howard Bath

All who interact with traumatized children in home, school, and community can make important contributions to healing and growth. This care involves actions to strengthen three pillars: safety, connections, and managing emotional impulses.

The Power of Community

Brenda Lange

A Pennsylvania alternative school using restorative practices is operated by the Community Service Foundation/Buxmont Academy (CFS Buxmont). A student faces traumatic life challenges with the help of group problem-solving with supportive peers.

Reclaiming Our "Toughest" Youth

Kiaras Gharabaghi

Some so-called “evidence-based” interventions are narrow methods which are justified by some quantitative research. This limited focus ignores broader qualitative studies showing that interpersonal relationships wield more impact than technique.

Annie's Journey to Healing

Beate Kreisle

Ongoing traumatising life events can often cause a person to the have physical or emotional characteristics of one who is mentally disabled or autistic, making it easy to form a wrong first impression. The following is the story of one such person in a Positive Peer Culture program in a group treatment facility in Germany.

The Neurosequential Model

Bruce D. Perry, Erin P. Hambrick

Going beyond the medical model, The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics maps the neurobiological development of maltreated children. Assessment identifies developmental challenges and relationships which contribute to risk or resiliency. Formal therapy is combined with rich relationships with trustworthy peers, teachers, and caregivers.

Clinician or Witness?

William Steele

To heal the hurt child, one begins not as a clinician but as a person trying to witness how the child experiences trauma. This requires more than just talking since the child’s terrifying memories are stored in the brain’s senses and visual imagery, not in rational thoughts and words. The goal is to change these frightening sensory experiences which hold the child hostage.

The Sanctuary Modelof Trauma-Informed Organizational Change

Sandra L. Bloom, Sarah Yanosy Sreedhar

The Sanctuary Model builds respectful culture in schools and treatment organizations so that troubled children—and those who work with them—are not subject to victimization. The therapeutic community addresses the needs of traumatized youth through a psychoeducational model called S.E.L.F. which deals with the challenges of Safety, Emotional management, Loss, and Future.

Life Space Crisis Intervention: "He Gave Me the Finger!"

Mitchell Beck

The Manipulation of Body Boundaries Set Up Reclaiming Intervention is used when a bright, passive-aggressive youth sets up a more volatile peer to fight and get into trouble. Analogies are especially useful in helping “set-up” students gain a cognitive understanding of how they are being manipulated.

I Am My Own Hero

Emily D.