A Healing-Centered Approach to Childhood Exposure
to Domestic violence and Other Adversities
We know more than ever before about how to mitigate and prevent the physical, mental, behavioral, and cognitive challenges that many traumatized children experience. The capacity of the brain to adapt and change in response to adversity is also the pathway to healing trauma. Using a healing-centered approach, we will examine how toxic stress can derail healthy development and how strategies to build resilience and self-regulatory skills can heal trauma. Dr. Chamberlain shares findings from a recently completed national scan of promising practices for children and adolescents exposed to domestic violence to highlight best practices.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss how the brain explains many of the predictable consequences of childhood exposure to domestic violence and other adverse experiences.
- List three effects of childhood exposure to violence that may not be recognized as being related to trauma.
- Describe three brain-based strategies for working with children exposed to violence that you can use in your work setting.
- List two resources that highlight best practices for service providers working with children exposed to domestic violence and other adversities.
