Many youth who have experienced pain and trauma have learned to survive. But surviving is not the same as thriving. Humans are able to flourish only as they find hope. How can adults help youth envision positive futures? One strategy is to help youth to have a concrete vision of a future worth having. One exercise asks young people to write their…

Those in close contact with trauma survivors are themselves at risk for trauma (e.g., Bride, 2007; Figley, 1995). Family, friends, and professionals who bear witness to the emotional retelling and re-enacting of traumatic events can experience what is called "secondary trauma" (Elwood, Mott, Lohr, & Galovski, 2011). The literature…

There is increasing awareness that many children who present behavioral challenges have experienced relational trauma. These youngsters are not well served by traditional interventions in schools, treatment settings, and communities. Adults responsible for these young people often get drawn into conflict cycles and coercive interventions that only…

Many actions of troubled children and adolescents can disguise and conceal their ever-present and deep-seated psycho-emotional pain. Adults living and working with these youth may overlook this pain in a strategy of avoidance. Labelling troubling behavior as "outbursts," "explosions," or "acting out," ignores the…

Trauma can turn anyone inside out. But when an entire community experiences the same trauma in a matter of minutes, it shatters the rhythm of everyday life and forces a redefinition of "normal." In this article, a school counselor in Newtown who experienced the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School shares her perspectives on the…

With the election of Barack Obama as President, many believed that this nation was entering into a post-racial America, a color-blind society where racism could begin to be healed if not totally dismissed. However, a recent Associated Press poll has shown that this is not the case (AP, 2012). In fact, racial prejudice has increased slightly since…

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) was developed by the late Arnold Goldstein of Syracuse University to teach positive alternatives to children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems (Glick & Gibbs, 2011; Goldstein, Glick, & Gibbs, 1998). ART provides cognitive, affective, and behavioral interventions to build competence in…

The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Chil­dren's (TLC) 24-year history of working with children and families has provided the experience necessary to make recommendations about how to best respond and intervene with survivors of violent as well as non-violent incidents. Professionals working with youth must appreciate that there is…

In writing about the Circle of Courage, Martin Brokenleg and his co-authors brought together different professions, racial backgrounds, and upbringing (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 2002). While the Circle of Courage philosophy transcends culture, they initially used Native American images and stories to express these ideas. Because…

Millions of the world's children are exposed to traumatic events and relationships every day. Whatever the cause, this overwhelming stress produces a host of unsettling symptoms and reactions. The author highlights six practical principles that undergird healing interventions.

Childhood trauma is marked by an overwhelming sense of terror and powerlessness. Loss of loving relationships is yet another type of trauma that produces the pain of sadness and grief. The resulting symptoms only reflect the neurological, biological, and emotional coping systems mobilized in the struggle to survive. These young people need new…

The Positive Behavior Support Team at Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) provides consultation and wrap-around services for students who exhibit significant physical or sexual aggression. Several members of the team received training in the Three Pillars of TraumaWise Care curriculum from Reclaiming Youth International. This article…

Nicholas Hobbs, a visionary in the field of psychology, believed strongly that how one defines a problem determines in large part the strategies that can be generated to solve it (Hobbs, 1982). He questioned the validity of psychiatric labels and other means of classification that pathologized children, believing that such approaches guided people…

Trauma can impact learning, behavior, and social, emotional, and psychological functioning. Traumatized children are more likely to have poorer school performance, decreased I.Q. and reading ability, lower grade point average, and more days of school absence (Stein & Kendall, 2004). Trauma also can alter the way children and adults view themselves…

One of the biggest challenges facing Aboriginal populations increasingly is being called "intergenerational trauma." Restoring the cultural heritage is a central theme in the book, "Reclaiming Youth at Risk." That work describes the Circle of Courage model for positive development which blends Native child and youth care…