Resources

Summer, Sunshine, and Stress by Nicole Fakaua, M.C., R.C.C. Summer holidays usually conjure up images of sunshine, sweet watermelon, and happy kids playing along the beach.   But let’s face it, for many kids with a trauma background, summer holidays can also be stressful!  Normal routines have been bypassed by longer, leisurely days filled with a degree of flexibility and unpredictability on many fronts.  Though enjoyable, this can be particularly challenging for kiddos with a history of trauma.  As a result, …

No One Eats Apples in Baja, California It’s a small town by Canadian Standards. The population is only approximately five thousand people. This makes it the size of Nelson, BC or Flin Flon, Manitoba. What makes this town unique is that one third of this population is under the age of 14. The town is Primo Tapia, located along the Baja California, an hour South of Tijuana, Mexico. What makes this town even more exceptional is that the number of …

Data Collection and Connecting Meaningful Interventions to the IEP Miss Peters knew that Jimmy had made some progress in the classroom because his shut downs and aggressive behaviours weren’t as severe as before.  Within the first three months of the new school year, she learned that Jimmy had experienced complex trauma from the time he was born to about 4 years of age, she learned about how complex trauma can affect children in the classroom, and she implemented numerous PEACE-ful …

Emotional Regulation Skills for Traumatized Youth  (A DBT Approach) by Lisa Frede, M.A., R.C.C Strong, painful emotions are a part of being human, especially part of being a teen or pre-teen, and even more so part of being a young person with a background in complex trauma. We all can benefit from learning more about how emotions work in our minds and bodies. Understanding what they are, identifying the urges that accompany them, and putting words to the experience, helps …

Disconnect to Connect By Angela Murphy How many of us remember the story of Josh and his parents? Once when I was visiting a family, the 12-year old adopted son *Josh, took me to his room to show me his game.  Within a 5-minute time span I saw his very real looking character smoke marijuana, pick up a prostitute, run down a police officer, and the boy talked about killing his family next (in the game).  By the time I …