Resources – Parents & Caregivers
As a parent or caregiver, we know that it can be a huge challenge to care for a traumatized child or youth. The following are a combination of hand selected articles, handouts, links, and videos we believe would be helpful to you as you pour yourselves into the lives of these kids.
These materials are a collection from our own clinicians and field experts as well as other credible professionals who practice in the realm of complex trauma. These materials are organized under a list of topics, and part of our commitment to you will be to continue to build on these resources to provide you with the ongoing support you need.
We ask you respect the copyright applications of material on this site as well as those on other sites that we recommend to you.
You will notice some of our resources are free and others will require a CTR membership to access all the materials that can be made available to you. Sign up here. If cost is a barrier please contact us and explain your situation.
Below you will find some resources that we believe will give you an understanding of Complex Trauma and its effects on children and youth. These are a great starting place in understanding the impact complex trauma has on the brain and how we can better support our children on their healing journey. These materials have been specially chosen for parents and caregivers. If you would like to see the full list of resources please click here.
What’s the Fuss About Complex Trauma
Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents
Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators
The Impact of Toxic Stress
Caregiver-Specific Resources
ABORIGINAL/INDIGENOUS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … |  |
| Inter-Generational Trauma | Inter-Generational Trauma by Fred Chou Sandy was a young adolescent boy that was currently … |  |
| Trauma and Identity | Fourteen-year old Malia is a male of Caucasian and Somalian descent who has lived … | |
| Childhood Trauma Series in Indian Country | This article specifically address’ the different kinds of trauma that Indigenous children are exposed to and the reactions that may evolve (ie: ACEs, PTSD & affects in home and school). |  |
ACEs
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| ACE Score Calculator | ACEs are potentially traumatic events that can have a lasting impact on youth and adults. This simplified calculator will help you determine what your ACE score is. | |
| ACES and COMPLEX TRAUMA | In my previous post, I talked about the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACEs) and … | |
| ACES SCORE and the correlation to chronic illness | An introductory video on the impact of childhood trauma, ACES and the connection between life long and chronic health conditions. Dr Jeffrey Brenner states, “I believe ACE scores should become a vital sign, as important as height and weight”. | |
| What are ACE’s? | A short 5 min. video overview of ACEs, what they are and how they impact on lifelong issues over the course of a lifetime. | |
| ACES TOO HIGH – Childhood Trauma can lead to lifelong illness | Ongoing adversity in childhood leads to a chronic state of “fight, flight or freeze.” Researchers at Yale had recently shown that when inflammatory stress hormones flood a child’s body and brain, they alter the genes that oversee our stress reactivity, re-setting the stress response to “high” for life. | |
ADOPTION
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Adoption – An Effective Intervention | A scientific study on adoption as an effective intervention in the developmental domains of physical growth, attachment security, cognitive development, school achievement, self-esteem, and decreased behavioral problems. | |
ANXIETY
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Yoga as an Intervention for Complex Trauma | Yoga for Trauma by Lisa Frede Jaime sat cross legged on her new yellow … | |
| Back to School Shopping | I went to the mall today and I was surrounded by parents and their … | |
| Anxiety or Aggression? When anxiety in children looks like anger, tantrums, or meltdowns | When children are under the influence of an anxious brain, their behaviour has nothing to do with wanting to push against the limits. Once kids have a more solid understanding of why they do what they do, they will be well on their way to finding a better response. Here’s where the adults in their lives will make a critical difference. | |
| Phrases to Calm an Anxious Child | Navigating anxiety is an essential life skill that will serve them in the years to come. In the heat of the moment, try these simple phrases to help your children identify, accept, and work through their anxious moments. | |
| My Child is Anxious | This blog written by an educator gives insight and practical tools into how to help your anxious child. | |
ATTACHMENT
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| How Abuse & Neglect Drive Attachment Problems | Dr. Karyn Purvis explains in this audio bite the attachment cycle and how it affects a child behaviorally and neurochemically when he or she expresses a need that is met or, conversely, when that need is not met and the impact of this cycle on a child’s behavior, self-regulation, and mental health. | |
| Attachment: Why it Matters Preview | In this 8 minute video, Dr. Karyn Purvis explains the importance of attachment and the difficulties presented for children that come from maltreated backgrounds. “All Children need to know that they’re precious and unique and special. But, a child that comes from a hard place needs to know it more desperately”. | |
BEDWETTING
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Ending Children’s Bedtime Problems | This study explores the link between a positive bedtime behavior and a small tangible reward in reducing disruptive bedtime behavior, night waking and problem behavior during waking hours. Clinicians suggest an intervention plan that is tangible for caregivers to implement. | |
BRAIN & NEGLECT
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| The Three Core Concepts in Early Development | Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks necessary for the developing child. This three-part video series gives us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse. | |
| The Human Brain | Dr. B.D. Perry gives a brief introduction to core concepts regarding brain structure and function that provide the basis for developmentally sensitive and trauma-informed caregiving, education and therapy. | |
| The Science of Neglect & the Developing Brain | Chronic neglect can actually disrupt and weaken the developing brain architecture. This 20 page article provides scientific analysis of the effects of neglect, implications as well as the impact of intervention for maltreated children. | |
BRAIN GAMES FOR KIDS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Grow your Child’s Brain – Mind Exercises | Resources packed with information about the brain in a fun format of games, riddles, and puzzles for elementary and middle school students. | |
BRAINS: KIDS & DEVELOPMENT
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
BRAIN AND STRESS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Back to School Shopping | I went to the mall today and I was surrounded by parents and their … | |
| The Three Core Concepts in Development & The Impact of Toxic Stress | This three-part video series depicts how advances in neuroscience give us a better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, the impact of toxic stress and the circuitry of the brain in the development of a child. | |
THE BRAIN: AN EXPLANATION
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| The Hand Model of the Brain | This is a short but impacting visual on how our brains are structured and the connection between emotional regulation (2.30 mins) | |
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF CHILDREN
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
EMOTIONAL REGULATION
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Relationship Repair | Relationship Repair by: Dr. Kirk Austin It seemed that every time Johnny returned from … | |
| Healthy Strategies for Responding to Children’s Challenging Emotions | What is emotional regulation vs. emotional dysregulation? This publication guides caregivers and educators through an understanding of contributing factors to emotional dysregulation and helpful strategies to implement. | |
| Helping Children Learn to Regulate Their Emotions | Emotional regulation refers to a person’s ability to regulate their emotional responses. Childen in particular, need to be taught this skill and often act like they are ‘out ofcontrol’. This article highlights practical skills to aid your child in self mastery of their emotions. | |
EFFECTS OF TRAUMA
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| The Invisible Suitcase: Behavioral Challenges of Traumatized Children | Children who enter the foster care system typically arrive with at least a few personal belongings but many also arrive with another piece of baggage, one that they are not even aware of. They have: an “invisible suitcase” filled with the beliefs they have about themselves, the people who care | |
INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Intergenerational Trauma | Intergenerational Trauma (IGT) refers to the transmission of trauma from one generation to the next. It is the notion that “traumatic experiences endured during childhood or adulthood, might profoundly influence the well-being of their offspring”. | |
INTERVENTION & HOPE
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| The Power of a Caring Adult | This article supports the quote that, “Every child who winds up doing well has had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult.” | |
MENTAL ILLNESS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
MINDFULNESS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Yoga as an Intervention for Complex Trauma | Yoga for Trauma by Lisa Frede Jaime sat cross legged on her new yellow … | |
POLICY
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
PLAY
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
PTSD & CHILDREN
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| The Heavy Toll Of PTSD And Trauma On The Body And Mind | Trauma and PTSD are silent diseases. Victims often feel isolated and misunderstood and people suffering from PTSD may feel frozen in time, reliving their traumatic experience over and over. Continue reading to see how you can support those suffering from these debilitating conditions. | |
| PTSD in Children – An Introduction | This article provides an overview of PTSD in children. While targeted for an interdisciplinary audience, portions may be helpful to parents and caregivers living with children suffering with PTSD. | |
RESILIENCY
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| The Power of Affirmation and Resiliency Statements | In this video, Chris Ulmer takes the time to pay several compliments to each and every one of the eight students in his special education classroom. This is the power of affirmation and resiliency statements in action. | |
| Resiliency – Self Talk For Kids | A moving video of a dad that motivates his daughter every day before school reminds us of the importance of positivity and building self-resilience in our children. | |
SELF CARE FOR CLINICIANS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Tips for Vitality and Serenity | This article highlights some positive messaging and awareness of self/boundaries that can be incorporated into your life to create peace and balance. | |
| Emergency Self-Care Worksheet for FOSTER FAMILIES | Foster families, this is a worksheet for you to plan out what you would do under extremely trying circumstances, even though this may be rare. It is important to develop a framework using your before you are faced with a crisis or feel overwhelmed. |  |
| Maintenance & Self-Care Worksheet | This assessment helps you identify the activities that you would like to add to your self-care practice in each self-care domain. | |
| Self-Care Assessment | This assessment will help you highlight the things you are already doing for yourself and assist you in evaluating areas where there might be an imbalance in how you practice self-care. | |
| Lifestyle and Stress Assessment | This assessment helps you identify what you do now (either well or poorly) to manage the stress in your life. | |
| Clinicians: Caring for Yourself and How to Work with High-Risk Children and Families | This 18-page article, highlights understanding and preventing secondary traumatic stress when working with traumatized and maltreated children. | |
SLEEP
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| The REST MODEL (On Sleep) | Dr. Austin, one of CTR’s clinicians, provides some practical strategies framed around the REST MODEL that will aid caregivers with helping children with bedtime routines. | |
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Relationship Repair | Relationship Repair by: Dr. Kirk Austin It seemed that every time Johnny returned from … | |
| CARE FOR KIDS – A School District’s Initiative for Social and Emotional Learning Pays Off | A testimonial about how Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky are seeing positive results from a district-wide commitment to the CARE for Kids program (Social And Emotional Learning) made just two years ago (6:31 mins). | |
TRAUMA
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Trauma, Brain & Relationship: Helping Children Heal | This 25 minute powerful documentary with renowned experts, share a new understanding of how trauma effects the development of the mind body system, and how it affects children’s behaviors and social relationships. | |
| Inter-Generational Trauma | Inter-Generational Trauma by Fred Chou Sandy was a young adolescent boy that was currently … | |
| Let’s Learn Together | This booklet aims to provide an insight into the many challenges that adopted children face, why these challenges might arise and various tips and ideas on how to manage key areas of difficulty for both parents and teachers. | |
| Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators | This “Toolkit” on trauma, gives information for educators, parents and caregivers, including facts, suggestions, psychological and behavioral impact of trauma by grade level and self care. | |
TRAUMA: ITS EFFECT
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Trauma, Brain & Relationship: Helping Children Heal | This 25 minute powerful documentary with renowned experts, share a new understanding of how trauma effects the development of the mind body system, and how it affects children’s behaviors and social relationships. | |
| What Happened To This Child? | This extensive 18-page article outlines the adverse effects of trauma highlighting developmental lags, attachment, brain development, CTS, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and more. | |
TRAUMA INFORMED CAREGIVING
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Trauma, Brain & Relationship: Helping Children Heal | This 25 minute powerful documentary with renowned experts, share a new understanding of how trauma effects the development of the mind body system, and how it affects children’s behaviors and social relationships. | |
| Trauma-Informed Parenting | This article provides insightful information into the impact of complex trauma, factors to consider, signs and symptoms and how to live and care as a trauma informed parent. | |
| How to Help Traumatized Children | This 17-page booklet will assist parents, caregivers, teachers and various professionals working with maltreated and traumatized children. | |
| 10 Questions Foster/Adopted Parents Ask | Specialists offer helpful insights and practical advice in response to some critical questions that are commonly asked by adoptive and foster parents – video content. | |
TRAUMA INFORMED PRACTICE
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Trauma, Brain & Relationship: Helping Children Heal | This 25 minute powerful documentary with renowned experts, share a new understanding of how trauma effects the development of the mind body system, and how it affects children’s behaviors and social relationships. | |
TRAUMA & INTERVENTION
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| What’s In A Name | What’s in a Name? Lionel was moody in recent weeks. His parents noticed that … | |
| Trauma and Identity | Fourteen-year old Malia is a male of Caucasian and Somalian descent who has lived … | |
| Maltreatment and the Effect of Trauma on the Developing Child | This article analyzes how early childhood experiences shape a child. This article highlights how traumatic experiences and neglect impact on the neurobiology of the developing brain and the integration of the 6 core strengths towards healing. | |
TRAUMA SENSITIVE SCHOOLS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Trauma, Brain & Relationship: Helping Children Heal | This 25 minute powerful documentary with renowned experts, share a new understanding of how trauma effects the development of the mind body system, and how it affects children’s behaviors and social relationships. | |
TRAUMATIC STRESS
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Sensitization and Tolerance | This 10 minute video gives an introduction to the crucial role that patterns of stress response system activation play in pathology and healing. | |
| The Science of Neglect & the Developing Brain | Chronic neglect can actually disrupt and weaken the developing brain architecture. This 20 page article provides scientific analysis of the effects of neglect, implications as well as the impact of intervention for maltreated children. | |
| Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents | This article focuses on child traumatic stress, especially that most commonly found among children involved with the child welfare system and looks at effects of child traumatic stress and the most effective treatments. | |
TRAUMA AND TEACHING
| Title | Summary | Access |
|---|---|---|
| What’s All the Fuss about Complex Trauma? | By Dr. Chuck Geddes Why is this new focus so important? For those of … | |
| Trauma, Brain & Relationship: Helping Children Heal | This 25 minute powerful documentary with renowned experts, share a new understanding of how trauma effects the development of the mind body system, and how it affects children’s behaviors and social relationships. | |
| What’s In A Name | What’s in a Name? Lionel was moody in recent weeks. His parents noticed that … | |
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