In this series, attendees will learn evidence-based practices that teach children how to replace trauma-based coping strategies with resilience-based strategies. Attendees will understand and develop strategies to address trauma-based inequities in their systems and raise equity. Finally, presenters will review and walk through several evidence-based wellness and resilience practices.
This introductory session will define trauma giving participants a foundational understanding of behaviors resulting from exposure to early childhood trauma. It will also address research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Using this information, the trainers will define a trauma-informed approach including what it means to be trauma-informed.
The second session in this series will focus on the need for understanding and integrating the practices of cultural humility into a trauma-based model. Participants will learn about the three parts of practicing cultural humility, the successful application of this model in early childhood work, and the importance of cultural humility when working from a trauma-informed approach. Using these principles, participants will begin to develop strategies that address inequities in their systems while raising equity, including how to identify and respond to microaggressions as a bystander with privilege, and/or as adults protecting children.
The third session in this series will focus on the grief that different traumatic experiences can trigger, including the current pandemic. By understanding that the experience of grief can be used to build resilience, this session provides participants with tools needed to build and cultivate resilience within themselves. Other topics that will be covered include the stages of grief and variability within those stages, the developmental psychology of grief, and strategies for building and promoting resilience practices that foster connection and wellness among children, staff, and communities.
