1. Trauma in Children and Families
WE’RE ALL IN SUMMIT
Trauma in Children and Families
Dyverynce Lambert, LPC

2. Objectives View Redefine Teach
View trauma as an event that affects the entire family system.
View
Redefine trauma symptoms as necessary coping strategies shaped by culture and social economic status.
Redefine
Teach traumatized family members to separate who they are from what happened to them and use family strengths to conquer life after tragedy.
Teach

3. What is Trauma?
A traumatic event, either witnessed or experienced, representing a fundamental threat to one’s physical integrity or survival.
Responses involve intense fear, helplessness or horror.
The meaning of the event may be as important as the actual physical act or experience.

4. Three C’s of Family Trauma
Change
What changes have occurred in the family system as a result of the trauma?
Culture
How does culture/social economic status affect the family’s symptoms and ability to cope?
Coping
What are the family’s strengths and how can they be used to restore the family system?
Three C’s of Family Trauma

5. Family Trauma
Trauma is an experience that involves and affects the entire family system.
Families are dynamic systems in which parents, youth, and siblings affect one another.
Trauma should be viewed not as a discrete event that occurs to an individual family member, but as a disturbance to inward and outward relationships.

6. How has Trauma Changed the Family System?
Trauma symptoms can be intergenerational.
Trauma can affect parenting styles.
How have family roles changed?

7. Trauma and The Family System

8. Trauma and The Family System

9. Trauma and The Family System

10. Culture and Family Trauma
How has culture shaped the meaning of the trauma?
What level of trauma has the family already experienced based on their culture/economic/ social status?
Clinicians should use the clients culture to identify strengths and beliefs to support recovery.

11. Culture and Family Trauma

12. Culture Activity

13. Family Coping

14. Normalizing Thoughts Behaviors Feelings
Educate the family on signs and symptoms
Helps the family understand that their reactions are not uncommon.
Help each family member connect feelings, thoughts, and behaviors to promote resiliency.
Normalizing

15. Extended Family Relationships
Assist with family rituals and traditions
Provide respite and care giving
Emotional Support

16. Confronting Cognitive Distortions
De-pathologizing- Help family members separate themselves from their diagnosis.
Family Narratives- What is the trauma story?
Reframe- What are behaviors telling us?
Confronting Cognitive Distortions

17. Symptoms as Communication Symptoms as Coping Strategies
Symptoms as Metaphors
Anorexia
Feeling invisible, neglected
Depression
Loss of Hope
Symptoms as Communication
Cutting Fingers
These hands participated in sexual behavior and should be punished
Sibling Physical Abuse
I blame you for the change in our family system
Parental Neglect
They are better off without me
Symptoms as Coping Strategies
Eating, Drinking
Self-medicating
Suicidal Ideations
Alleviate Anxiety
Dissociation
Avoiding Perceived Threat
Reframing

18. Q&A

19. Integrated Health Services
We are a community based agency grounded in trauma focused and evidenced based modalities with locations in Hampton Roads and Richmond
We serve clients who are considered at risk, juvenile sex-offenders, and trauma survivors.
For more information please contact your nearest location or view our website at
Richmond Office
1403 Pemberton Road
Suite 106
Richmond, VA 23238
Hampton Office
2 Eaton Street
Suite 1103
Hampton, VA 23669
Virginia Beach Office
287 Independence Blvd.
Suite 322
Virginia Beach, VA 23462

20. References
Ferentz, L. (2015). Treating self-destructive behaviors in trauma survivors: a clinician's guide (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Kerig, P. K. & Alexander, J. F. (2012). Family Matters: Integrating Trauma Treatment into Functional Family Therapy for Traumatized Delinquent Youth. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 5,
TF-CBT Web
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network-