Roadmap to Resilience

During safety overviews before a flight, we're instructed to put on our own oxygen masks first before assisting others. In the same way, as professionals and parents, we have to take care of ourselves before we can continue to care for the children in our lives. To close out this audio series, we'll hear from several guest experts on what they do to support their own well-being as trauma-care providers.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Claudette AntuñaDr. Archana BasuDr. David CorwinDr. Bianca HarperNicole LaPlenaDr. Brooks KeeshinDr. Joyanna SilbergYehudis StokesKaren Zilberstein

With our guest experts, we discuss why we need policies that support trauma-informed training and care and what's at stake if we don't. We'll hear from guest experts speaking to specific policy needs in contexts such as medical care, mental health, and online spaces. Ultimately, we'll discuss the foundational need for these laws and policies to be rooted in the community. Whether we're legislators, policymakers, advocates, or just community members with a voice and a vote, we can work to ensure our laws and policies support the resilience of children in all of our communities.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Apryl AlexanderHernán Carvente-Martinez Dr. David CorwinJessica FeiermanDr. Brooks KeeshinDr. Michael SalterDr. Viola Vaughan-EdenKaren ZilbersteinExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Parents Under Pressure: Struggling to Raise Children in an Unequal America by Karen Zilberstein

Communities and collective action are vitally important in maintaining and strengthening our mental health and resilience. In this episode, we hear from several experts on the essential role communities play in fostering resilience in children who experience stress and trauma.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Apryl AlexanderHernán Carvente-MartinezJessica FeiermanDr. Viola Vaughan-EdenKaren ZilbersteinExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Healing NinjasBrody, G., Yu, T., Chen, E., Miller, G., Kogan, S., & Beach, S. (2013). Is resilience only skin deep? Rural African Americans' socio- economic status-related risk and competence in preadolescence and psychological adjustment and allostatic load at age 19. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1285–1293.

As a parent, supporting your child day-in and day-out is a lot of work -- especially if your child has experienced or is experiencing stress and trauma. Our guest experts speak to the big and small ways parents and caregivers can help foster resilience in children.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Archana BasuDr. David Corwin Dr. Michael SalterKaren ZilbersteinExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Pandemic ParentingTrauma & Resilience Resources (Pandemic Parenting)

In this episode, we're focusing on the experiences of youth before, during, and after their interactions with the legal system. We'll hear from trauma-focused behavioral healthcare professionals who have worked extensively with the legal system: with judges, lawyers, justice-involved youth, and their families. We'll also hear from a lawyer and a community organizer and their work to reduce and prevent trauma in justice-involved youth.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Apryl AlexanderDr. Sandra BaitaHernán Carvente-MartinezJessica FeiermanDr. Bianca HarperExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Psychosocial Interventions for Traumatized Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: Research, Evidence Base, and Clinical/Legal Challenges (Journal of Juvenile Justices)The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice System(The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)

In this episode, we're taking a closer look at clinical training programs for healthcare professionals in many fields: how to make the training more trauma-informed, and how students can best navigate those programs if they're interested in providing trauma-informed care.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Archana BasuDr. David CorwinDr. Brooks KeeshinNicole LaPlenaYehudis StokesExplore resources mentioned in this episode:NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent TraumaAPSAC: American Professional Society Abuse ChildrenISTSS: International Society for Traumatic Stress StudiesISSTD: International Society for the Study of Trauma & DissociationAPA: American Psychological Association - Trauma Psychology (Division 56)TeachTrauma NCTSN Learn: Identifying Critical Moments and Healing Complex Trauma “Trauma-Informed Care” (Pediatrics, The American Academy of Pediatrics)Academy on Violence and Abuse (avahealth.org)California ACEs Academy

Three healthcare experts weigh in on how healthcare providers, including pediatric, family medicine, nursing, and other medical and allied health professionals, can practice and implement trauma-informed healthcare on an individual and systemic level.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. David CorwinDr. Brooks KeeshinYehudis StokesExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Bright FuturesThe Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics Academy on Violence and Abuse (avahealth.org)California ACEs Academy

Now that we've examined key concepts to understand the many ways that children experience trauma -- and the many ways that they and their families are resilient, it's time to get a bit more practical. How can we as mental health providers help foster resilience in children? Plus, hear from trauma-care providers what you can expect if you're looking for trauma-informed therapy for yourself or your child.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Apryl AlexanderHernán Carvente-MartinezDr. Sandra BaitaNicole LaPlenaDr. Michael SalterDr. Joyanna SilbergDr. Viola Vaughan-EdenKaren Zilberstein

We can't protect children and support their resilience if we overlook the traumas that are embedded in the fabric of their communities and society. In this episode, we speak to several guest experts about how global and collective traumas such as racism, war, community violence, and pandemics impact children.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Apryl AlexanderDr. Archana BasuDr. Sandra RafmanDr. Michael SalterDr. Joyanna SilbergDr. Viola Vaughan-EdenExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Australia eSafety Commissioner

No child exists in a vacuum. And the stress or trauma they experience doesn't either. All of our individual behaviors, mindsets, and experiences are intertwined with our cultural contexts -- that is, the customs, language, geography, politics, and beliefs that shape our lived experiences. In this episode, you'll hear from several guest experts who speak to the importance of recognizing cultural influences such as mental health stigmas, faith and spirituality, and country of origin when providing trauma-informed care.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Apryl AlexanderDr. Claudette AntuñaDr. Sandra RafmanDr. Viola Vaughan-EdenKaren ZilbersteinExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Brody, G., Yu, T., Chen, E., Miller, G., Kogan, S., & Beach, S. (2013). Is resilience only skin deep? Rural African Americans' socio- economic status-related risk and competence in preadolescence and psychological adjustment and allostatic load at age 19. Psychological Science, 24(7), 1285–1293.Miller, G., Yu, T., Chen, E., & Brody, G. (2015). Self-control forecasts better psychosocial outcomes but faster epigenetic aging in low-SES youth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(33), 10325 – 10330.

According to data from U.S. crime reports, about 1 in 5 homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner, whether that's a current or former spouse or dating partner. In the wake of these tragic deaths are the victims' loved ones -- including children. Dr. Bianca Harper shares her expertise in supporting these child and adolescent survivors of intimate partner homicide.Learn more about our guest expert on this episode: Dr. Bianca HarperExplore resources mentioned in this episode:Preventing Intimate Partner Violence - Centers for Disease Control and PreventionVictims of Crime ActArizona Child and Adolescent Survivor Initiative (ACASI)

In this episode, we explore how best to support survivors of sexual abuse. Along with our guest experts, we discuss how to provide an environment in which children (and adults) feel safe to disclose the abuse, how caregivers and clinicians should respond, and what the recovery process looks like for survivors and their families as they create a path forward.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Sandra BaitaDr. Michael SalterDr. Viola Vaughan-Eden

When we experience trauma, our minds and bodies find ways to cope. What might look on the outside like spacing out, rapid mood or behavior changes, or an intense imaginary world, can actually be the child psychologically “disconnecting” from what's happening or has happened to them. We call this “dissociation.” Clinical child psychologist Dr. Joyanna Silberg joins us for this episode. We discuss why dissociation takes place, what are early signs of it, and what we as parents and professionals who care for children can do to help.Learn more about our guest expert on this episode: Dr. Joyanna Silberg

Through the intersecting lenses of advocacy, mental health care, medical care, and criminology, five guest experts help us explore trauma prevention strategies that make it possible to not only treat the after-effects of trauma but to help protect children from experiencing trauma from the earliest days of their lives all the way into adolescence.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Archana BasuDr. David CorwinDr. Michael SalterYehudis StokesKaren Zilberstein

Resilience is the main subject of this audio series, but what is it exactly? There are actually a lot of different definitions, and the concept of resilience is a bit controversial among experts in mental health and trauma spaces. In many ways, resilience is just as complex as trauma. So, in this episode, we'll hear from several experts on their opinions about children's and families' resilience, what it is, and where it comes from.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Apryl AlexanderDr. Claudette AntuñaDr. Sandra BaitaDr. Archana BasuDr. Bianca HarperDr. Brooks KeeshinDr. Sandra RafmanKaren Zilberstein

Dr. Julian Ford and Dr. Amanda Zelechoski speak with several child trauma experts to help understand, “what is trauma?” and how does it differ from everyday stress? We discuss the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) framework, the impact of early childhood trauma on brain development, and how we can begin to identify past traumas through a child's current behavior.Learn more about our guest experts on this episode:Dr. Archana BasuDr. Sandra BaitaDr. David CorwinYehudis Stokes

Join experts in the field of child stress and trauma as they delve into research-based strategies for building resilience in children of all ages. Your hosts, Dr. Julian Ford and Dr. Amanda Zelechoski, along with guest experts explore how children and families successfully face and overcome adversity, and how helping professionals can support and empower this resilience. Together, they'll paint a holistic picture of what a roadmap to resilience can look like for children experiencing stress and trauma.Dr. Ford and Dr. Zelechoski bring decades of experience as psychologists and researchers to make these strategies available for all who care for children. Whether you're a mental health provider, parent, lawyer, social worker, or caregiver, you can use these tools to help the children you support step from difficulty into strength.Roadmap to Resilience is a collaboration between Pandemic Parenting and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, with special thanks to the Inter-Organizational Child Trauma Task Force. Roadmap to Resilience is produced by Dr. Julian Ford, Dr. Amanda Zelechoski, Carmen Vincent, and Victoria Bruick, with strategic support from Jennifer Valentine and promotional support from the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders. Many thanks to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Child Traumatic Stress Network for their financial support for this project.Learn more at www.roadmaptoresilience.org.