Resource Summary
Trauma and adverse childhood experiences – like extreme poverty, abuse, neglect or witnessing violence – are common. In the absence of support, it can disrupt children’s healthy development and increase their risk for health and mental health difficulties now and in the future.
We all have a shared responsibility to buffer the impact of trauma and adversity on children. This is why Emerging Minds has developed the Interpersonal trauma learning pathway to assist different practitioners – from students and volunteers through to specialist practitioners – to understand and support children and families who have experienced trauma.
The courses and resources in this learning pathway have been created in collaboration with practitioners, academics, child and family services, child mental health experts, and family members with lived experience of trauma and adversity.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that the resources in this learning pathway may contain imagery, audio or names of people who have passed away.
Explore our online trauma courses
The impact of trauma on the child
This course will introduce learners to key understandings about trauma and adversity, and their impact on children. It explores the ways that a child might respond to trauma, and how children and families can recover from trauma. It will also introduce a trauma sensitive approach to supporting children who have experienced trauma or adversity, and invite learners to reflect on how they can integrate this into their interactions with children.
This course is designed for professionals, students, volunteers, families, carers and community workers who work with, or care for, children. While it briefly introduces a trauma-informed approach to responding to the prevalence of trauma, and its impacts on children and families, it does not explore trauma-specific therapies.
Download a printable summary of The impact of trauma on the child online course
Supporting children who have experienced trauma
This course uses trauma-informed practice to study the explicit detail and skills of therapeutic engagement. Starting from working with a child who may be reluctant, to identifying children’s resilience and strengths and using them as a way to help move children past self-blame and hopelessness.
The course focuses particularly on the beginning stages of work with children, acknowledging that children who have experienced trauma are often ambivalent about engagement, or anxious about sharing details of their stories with practitioners. It explores perspective shifts that practitioners can use to demonstrate curious and collaborative practices with children and their families.
This course is designed for all practitioners who work specifically with children who have experienced trauma. This includes GPs, pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, allied health professionals, child protection workers, social workers, child mental health practitioners, and specialist counsellors.
Download a printable summary of the Supporting children who have experienced trauma online course
Supporting children who disclose trauma
This course examines practice strategies for supporting children who have disclosed trauma or abuse directly to you or another person, or who are known to have experienced trauma.
Supporting children who disclose trauma introduces the ‘Four Ps’ of helping children move beyond self-blame and secrecy after their experiences of abuse:
- Power
- Protest
- Purpose; and,
- Participation.
This course will help you to develop strategies and activities to support children to move away from the self-blame and secrecy associated with physical or sexual violence.
This course is designed for practitioners who work specifically with children who are known to have experienced trauma or are likely to disclose trauma. This includes professionals who may receive referrals for support, such as paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, child mental health practitioners and specialist counsellors. It also includes GPs, allied health professionals and child protection workers.
Download a printable summary of the Supporting children who disclose trauma online course
Visit our online trauma courses today:
For further trauma-related resources and information please find a curated collection here:
