Trauma-Proofing Your Kids: A Parents' Guide for Instilling Confidence, Joy and Resilience Book

Dedication and Acknowledgments     ix
Foreword   Mira Rothenberg     xi
Trauma Is a Fact of Life     1
Real-Life Examples of Children We Have Known     4
Trauma Is Not Only in the Event     7
The Recipe for Trauma     11
The Recipe for Resilience     12
Building Resilience by Building Sensory Skills through Practice, Practice and More Practice     15
Giving Appropriate Support to an Overwhelmed Child     15
Simple Steps to Build Resilience     16
Developing a Calming Presence     17
Getting Acquainted with Your Own Sensations     20
Exercise: Noticing Sensations     20
Exercise: Exploring Sensations and the Rhythm of Pendulation     24
Exercise: Tracking Sensations with a Partner     27
Exercise: Making a Sensation Treasure Chest     29
First Aid for Trauma Prevention: A Step-by-Step Guide     31
Tricks of the Trade: Restoring Resilience through Play, Art and Rhymes     41
The Story of Sammy     43
Four Principles to Guide Children's Play Toward Resolution     46
More Help for Kids through "Make-Believe" Play     54
Art Activities: Clay, Play Dough, Painting and Drawing     59
Nature and Animal Rhymes Combined with Drawings That Build Resources     64
Remedies for Specific Situations: Amusement Park Rides to Zebra Bites     77
First Aid for Accidents and Falls     78
The Purpose of Touch When Helping a Child in Shock     83
The Power of Language to Soothe and Heal     85
Exercise: Experiencing the Power of Words     86
More Animal Rhymes to Help Your Child Regain Self-Confidence     90
A Guide to Constructing a Healing Story     99
Prevention of Medical Trauma     102
What Parents Can Do to Prepare Children for Surgery or Other Medical Procedures     106
When the Medical Procedure Is an Emergency     114
Elective Surgeries     116
Sensitivity to Your Child's Pain     116
A Timely Word about Bullies and School Shootings     122
Ages & Stages: Building Confidence by Fostering Healthy Development     125
Responding to Your Infant: Issues of Safety and Trust     126
Your Toddler's Needs: "Me Do It Myself"     127
"Tug of War" with Your Three- to Four-Year-Old     128
Your Flirtatious Four- to Six-Year-Old Boy or Girl     130
Adolescent Development: Who Am I?     132
Sexual Violation: Reducing the Risk and Early Detection     135
Sexual Trauma Symptoms     136
Reducing the Risk of Sexual Wounds     138
What Is Sexual Violation?     140
Steps Caregivers Can Take to Decrease Children's Susceptibility     140
Games for Kids to Practice Making Boundaries     151
Why Most Children Don't Tell: Making It Safe for Them to Tell You     154
Date Rape and Other Teen Issues     156
Separation, Divorce and Death: Helping Your Child Move through the Grieving Process     159
Symptoms of Grief versus Symptoms of Trauma     159
Two Views of Divorce: Rosy or Dark?     163
Surviving Divorce: A Guide to Preserving Your Child's Wholeness     165
Helping Your Child Grieve     176
Dealing with the Death of a Pet     178
Steps That Help Children Resolve Their Grief     184
Exercise: Grief Recovery     185
Guerrilla Warfare in Our Neighborhoods: The Real Battle to Protect Kids from Terror     191
Models for Change in Hospitals and Medical Centers     192
A Peek at a Model Family-Centered Children's Hospital     197
Community Crisis Intervention     204
A New Model for Crisis Debriefing at School     213
Notes      221
Bibliography     225
Additional Resources     229
About the Authors     233
Foundation for Human Enrichment     235