Child Traumatic Stress and the Sacred: Neurobiologically Informed Interventions for Therapists and Parents

Children experience trauma and adverse experiences at an alarming rate. The negative impact of traumatic experiences on a child’s developing brain is pervasive, adversely affecting one’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, physiological reactions, and social relationships. Conversely, the nature, pattern, timing and duration of therapeutic experiences can change the brain in ways that support and cultivate therapeutic growth and healing. The purpose of this paper will be to review and expand on two prominent neurobiological therapeutic frameworks within the field of child trauma therapy: the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and Interpersonal Neurobiology. We will discuss the ways in which trauma experiences are organized in the brain and how therapeutic and parenting interventions can address the key areas of the brain that are impacted. Further, this paper will expand on these frameworks to explore how the sacred (within primarily a Judeo-Christian monotheistic religious tradition) can be integrated within the therapeutic process—specifically through the themes of safety, relational connection, and meaning-making.

Psychosocial Interventions for Child Traumatic Stress

This chapter reviews the array of psychosocial interventions available for the treatment of child traumatic stress and the specific qualities of these interventions for addressing the needs of traumatized children and their families. The literature supporting the efficacy or effectiveness of these interventions is reviewed in detail. Unlike other reviews of the literature on this topic—which largely focus on highlighting the interventions with the highest level of empirical evidence from clinical trials—this chapter emphasizes the information that clinicians and their agencies will need in selecting interventions for traumatized children and families and the available evidence supporting such interventions. Accordingly, this chapter also highlights the gaps in empirical knowledge that will be necessary to address in order to ensure that interventions can be effective, take root, and achieve acceptable scale in the settings where traumatized children typically receive care.

Trauma-Informed Care and LGBTQ Youth: Considerations for Advancing Practice With Youth With Trauma Experiences

LGBTQ youth are disproportionately impacted by multiple forms of childhood trauma, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and peer violence. The emerging practices of trauma-informed care and trauma-specific interventions have made significant contributions to the manner in which systems respond to the needs of traumatized youth. However, these youth are largely excluded from many trauma-informed conversations. This article seeks to use the Concepts for Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses in Children and Families, developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, to address the traumatic experiences and responses of LGBTQ youth.

Novel Application of Skills for Psychological Recovery as an Early Intervention for Violent Loss: Rationale and Case Examples

This article describes a novel application of Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR)—a brief, early intervention developed by the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network—for families grieving the violent death of a loved one. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, SPR incorporates cognitive-behavioral skills-building modules to help survivors cope with trauma-related distress and posttrauma resource loss. The authors describe the intervention and illustrate the use of SPR for violent loss by presenting data from two cases involving a suicide survivor and a homicide survivor. Implications for future research are discussed.

Internet Reviews

Council of EuropeThe Getty Research InstituteThe National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)