Child Trauma and the Effects on Children
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So as a parent, you just noticed the following behavior with your child. These behaviors are strange to you; you keep wondering why your child is behaving this way- child trauma
Child trauma can be intense and ongoing emotional upset, depressive symptoms or anxiety, behavioral changes, difficulties with self-regulation, problems relating to others or forming attachments, regression or loss of previously acquired skills, attention and academic difficulties, nightmares, difficulty sleeping and eating, and physical symptoms, such as aches and pains.
In older children, child trauma is associated with the use of drugs or alcohol, behave in risky ways, or engage in unhealthy sexual activity.
Now what?
But the question is: What should you do next?”
Should you just assume they will get over it? Should you ask their caregiver what happened to them while you were away? Or should you discuss with them why they are behaving strangle recent?
And in today’s post, I’m going to highlight 10 points to take after you noticed one, two, or more of the above behaviours with your child.
Here are 11 Things you need to do for a child undergoing trauma
Many think that Child trauma only happens who were abused by their parents or outsiders.
But your child can be impacted as a result of seeing or hearing about the other person being hurt or injured.
Child trauma is a very frightening, dangerous, violent, or life-threatening event that happens to a child of 0-18 years of age.
When these types of experiences happen, your child may become very overwhelmed, upset, and/or feel helpless. These types of experiences can happen to anyone at any time and at any age.
- Encourage the child to talk about their feelings freely and validate their emotions.
- Make them understand that it’s not their fault for whatever they believe is happening to them at the moment
- Your child would ask questions and make sure to answer them honestly.
- Give your child assurance that you’ll do everything you can to keep them safe.
- Maintain a daily routine as much as possible.
- Each child recovers at his/her own pace. Be patient and watch as they heal.
Depending on the child’s age and needs, they may be referred for services such as cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, or family therapy.
How to Heal From Your Own Childhood Trauma
If you want to heal yourself from child trauma experienced, here are some actions you can take to help you better cope:
- Avoiding alcohol and drugs
- Getting physically active
- Spending time with people in your life who are supportive
- Keeping a consistent eating and sleeping schedule
- Talking to a mental health professional can also help you start to heal. Therapeutic options may include a number of trauma-informed therapies, such as cognitive processing therapy (CPT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), among others.
We all know that good parenting can strengthen a good relationship between you and your child. However, not listening or paying attention when your child speaks is like missing the main context of the story.
That’s why the tips from this post — Encouraging your child to talk about their feelings freely and validate their emotions — are so powerful. Make them understand that it’s not their fault for whatever they believe is happening to them at the moment and be cool with them, when you are, they would ask questions and make sure you answer them honestly.
Now I want to hear from you:
What are the things you will start with? Are you going to pay attention to your child when they speak or let them feel free to ask questions?
