Hillside Family Finding Family Finding: Opening the Door for Trauma Intervention…. Children’s Mental Health Services Staff Development Training Forum December 1-2, 2015

Hillside Family Finding Facilitator Information Michelle M. Belge, LMSW Director, Institute for Family Connections™

Hillside Family Finding Agenda 3 Family Finding Values Overview of Model Trauma Brief Overview Why Family Finding? Connection and Disconnection

Hillside Family Finding Family Finding Values 4

Hillside Family Finding Safety

Hillside Family Finding Connections 6

Hillside Family Finding Rethinking Family 7

Hillside Family Finding Permanency 8

Hillside Family Finding Dignity

Hillside Family Finding Collaboration 10

Hillside Family Finding Attention to trauma, grief and loss 11

Hillside Family Finding Family Finding Model 12

Hillside Family Finding Family Finding Model 13

Hillside Family Finding Discovery 14

Hillside Family Finding Natural Supports CBS News Story 15

Hillside Family Finding Engagement 16

Hillside Family Finding Blended Perspective 17

Hillside Family Finding Decision Making 18

Hillside Family Finding Evaluation 19

Hillside Family Finding Follow-up Supports 20

Hillside Family Finding Simple concept... 21

Hillside Family Finding Nick and Noelle Video 22

Hillside Family Finding What is Trauma? 23

Hillside Family Finding Trauma The word “Trauma” is a Greek word meaning “a wound, a hurt, a defeat” 24

Hillside Family Finding Common Causes of Trauma for Youth Abuse Neglect Domestic Violence Being placed in out of home care Multiple Placements Rejection May be a single event, repeated or chronic 25

Hillside Family Finding Emotional Trauma “Emotional Trauma at a young age may cause changes to the brain that are similar to head trauma” Journal of Psychiatric Research 26 How early Severity Duration

Hillside Family Finding Early Trauma Early trauma is particularly significant 27

Hillside Family Finding Typical Development versus Developmental Trauma 28

Hillside Family Finding Nurturing and stable attachments with adults versus Basic mistrust of adults and inability to depend on others 29

Hillside Family Finding Belief in a predictable world and that good things happen versus Belief that the world is an unsafe place, bad things happen and they are usually my fault 30

Hillside Family Finding Feelings of positive self-worth, others see my strengths versus Assumptions that others will not like me 31

Hillside Family Finding Optimistic about the future—belief that I can have a positive impact on the world versus Fear and Pessimism about the future— feelings of hopelessness and lack of control 32

Hillside Family Finding Trauma’s Impact on Behavior 33

Hillside Family Finding Traumatized Youth : Stuck in Survival Mode 34

Hillside Family Finding Question to Ask Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?” Ask: “What happened to you?” 35

Hillside Family Finding Behaviors Inability to concentrate or regulate feelings Intrusive thoughts and visual images Dissociation 36

Hillside Family Finding Behaviors Anger and Aggression If you are afraid of me, I am safe…. 37

Hillside Family Finding Behaviors Fear and anxiety - panic attacks 38

Hillside Family Finding Trauma Behaviors An innate belief that they are bad, worthless, without value or importance 39

Hillside Family Finding Behaviors Self Blame Take on inappropriate responsibility as if everything is their fault 40

Hillside Family Finding Behaviors Chronic depression Repeated suicidal thoughts and feelings Self-harm, self-mutilation, self-injury 41

Hillside Family Finding Behaviors Serial Relationships Short-lived, superficial relationships with those around them. 42

Hillside Family Finding Symptoms and Behaviors of Trauma Self-destructive behaviors Addiction Eating Disorders 43

Hillside Family Finding Foster Care and PTSD Youth who have spent years in the foster care system often suffer from PTSD 44

Hillside Family Finding Trauma’s impact on Relationships 45

Hillside Family Finding Trauma Behaviors – Relational Inability to tolerate conflict with others An inability to tolerate intense feelings Black and white thinking…..all or nothing thinking Pushing others away with behaviors 46

Hillside Family Finding Trauma impacts relationships Trauma drives children to not want relationships. We are having to build relationships around children who are scared of them…..it’s a long road 47

Hillside Family Finding Hard to love and Be loved The hurt that some children have experienced make it hard for them to let themselves love and be loved. 48

Hillside Family Finding Trauma Impacts Relationships 49

Hillside Family Finding How can Family Finding Help? 50

Hillside Family Finding Trauma Focus in Family Finding Attending to the trauma and grief related to painful experiences from the past Parallel focus on helping to resolve the trauma from disconnections that have occurred 51

Hillside Family Finding Understanding the behaviors 52

Hillside Family Finding Unacknowledged Losses Need to validate and grieve the losses in their lives 53

Hillside Family Finding Trauma in Relationships Often, trauma happens in relationships, but it is also in relationships that the healing occurs 54

Hillside Family Finding

Connectedness Map - average 16 yr old 56

Hillside Family Finding Connectedness Map – 16 yr old in care 57

Hillside Family Finding Relationship is the Key to Healing Family Finding can help the youth to connect with or re-connect with family and/or natural supports 58

Hillside Family Finding Lifetime Network 59

Hillside Family Finding Understanding Trauma 60

Hillside Family Finding Waiver Family 61

Hillside Family Finding

Questions