| Children of all ages feel the fear and anxiety that | | | | to children. Children do not have the understanding of |
| follow in the wake of a trauma; however, trauma is | | | | what has happened; why the trauma happened; and |
| distinctly unique in its impact upon children. Children do | | | | most Importantly, the realistic likelihood of the |
| not grasp the nature of trauma in the same manner | | | | trauma repeating itself again. The child will respond |
| as adults. Unlike adults, children have neither the ability | | | | with fear, helplessness, and a sense of terror that |
| to exert control over their immediate environment | | | | may be expressed in disorganized, agitated, or |
| nor the ability to cognitively process the traumatic | | | | regressed behavior. Fear is the major thread woven |
| event. This makes the trauma an extremely more | | | | throughout the child's response to the trauma a |
| terrifying event for the child. In addition, if the trauma | | | | specific trauma-related fear which has the potential |
| involves the child's parent, that parent may no longer | | | | to become a phobia; generalized fears; or a fear of |
| be able to function as a strong person for the child. | | | | the trauma repeating itself again (with the potential |
| The parent may be unable to provide accurate, | | | | of becoming an obsession). Closely akin to fear, |
| age-appropriate information; a sense of safety and | | | | separation anxiety also may be a response of the |
| protection; a sense of predictability and stability; or | | | | traumatized child. What must become the four |
| any sense of feeling nurtured or soothed in response | | | | cornerstones of treatment are the very things that |
| to the fear and insecurity that trauma by its very | | | | were taken from the child by the trauma. |
| nature brings. The parent often becomes terrified | | | | The child's treatment must be based upon and |
| and possibly paralyzed (physically or emotionally) | | | | structured around providing safety, kindness, |
| during a trauma. These events enhance the child's | | | | predictability, and trustworthiness for the child. |
| sense of fear as well as his or her individual | | | | Debriefing should come as quickly as possible after a |
| responses to the trauma. It is Important that normal | | | | trauma. Debriefing should include four steps: preparing |
| childhood fears specific to developmental ages be | | | | yourself- learning as much as possible about the |
| understood. The informed helper Society always | | | | specific trauma; having the child tell the story (5-20 |
| displays the opposite of Gods desire and will for | | | | minutes); sharing the child's reaction (5-15 minutes); |
| mankind. God designed an original environment (Eden | | | | and finally, assisting the child in survival and recovery |
| and then heaven) for his children that was safe, kind, | | | | as well as preparing the child for the expected post |
| predictable, and trust worthy an environment that | | | | traumatic responses. Debriefing offers a beginning |
| reflected the very nature of God himself. | | | | structure for listening and talking to the traumatized |
| Trauma is in stark contrast to what God has | | | | child with the goal of leading the child onto the path |
| designed for his children. Trauma comes as a thief in | | | | of the recovery process. |
| the night and robs a child of his or her God-given | | | | *Treatment* |
| environment. What was once an innocent childhood | | | | The treatment for children who have experienced a |
| one that is safe, kind, predictable, and trust worthy is | | | | trauma will have the following major areas of work: |
| no longer and can never be regained as it once | | | | establishing a therapeutic trust relationship with the |
| existed. It takes only seconds for trauma to strike | | | | child; educating the child and the family in regard to |
| and change the life of a child forever. Present-day | | | | the post traumatic stress recovery period; actual |
| trauma invades the lives of children today with much | | | | management and reduction of PTSD symptoms; |
| more frequency and by measures that are far more | | | | appropriate re-experiencing of the trauma; and finally, |
| terrifying than in the past more terrifying not only to | | | | integration of the trauma experience. Its meaning |
| children, but also to those adults who are intended to | | | | must be explored, and the changes caused by the |
| protect, nurture, and soothe the child. Should know | | | | event must be accepted by the child as well as the |
| which childhood fears are normal, specific | | | | family. The child that existed prior to the trauma no |
| developmental fears that all children naturally have as | | | | longer exists. Trauma changes a child forever. The |
| they grow and mature. What must be understood is | | | | meaning of the trauma and the changes the trauma |
| that a trauma and its resulting losses escalates these | | | | brought must be evaluated and accepted by the |
| normal, common childhood fears. What once was a | | | | child. With the assistance of the counselor, the child |
| normal childhood fear has the potential to become a | | | | must learn to acknowledge and accept the losses of |
| major phobia, anxiety, or even a disorder. The | | | | the trauma, experience the deep pain of grief, and |
| trauma also brings with it the inherent potential to | | | | emerge on the other side more able to fully embrace |
| developmentally halt or at the very least slow or | | | | the future. Only working through the pain and grief |
| regress a child's normal psychological, emotional, and | | | | of the trauma frees the child to continue to grow |
| cognitive developmental process. If not addressed | | | | and develop in a healthy manner. In addition to |
| during the therapy process, the trauma may have | | | | conventional counseling techniques, the following |
| severe life-lasting Impact upon the traumatized child. | | | | specific therapeutic methods may prove helpful in |
| The trauma becomes not just a part of the child's | | | | working with traumatized children: bibliotherapy; |
| life, but more dramatically becomes an integral part | | | | writing therapy; play therapy; sand play therapy; art |
| of the child's internal core sense of self. | | | | therapy; water therapy; music therapy as well as |
| *Children's Response* | | | | storytelling. The use of actual visual props such as |
| In addition to traumas unique Impact upon children, | | | | story telling cards or a grief abacus are also quite |
| children will also have their own individual response to | | | | helpful to bring that which is abstract into a more |
| trauma. Trauma produces a psychological | | | | concrete form for the child. |
| disequilibrium and wounding that is anxiety provoking | | | | |