The February Childhood Trauma Newsletter: Healing Attachment Wounds After Trauma

As many of us in child psychology have known for decades, attachment to safe and loving caregivers in babyhood and childhood is paramount for long-term emotional and physical well-being.

However, as awareness of secure attachment grows in the general population, more and more of you are scared that you are missing the mark and failing to provide your children/students/clients with the attachment they need to live a successful life.?

As a refresher, “attachment” is the emotional connection that forms between infants/children and at least one caregiver. I want to emphasize that it only takes ONE loving, responsive, consistent adult to create a secure attachment, but it includes multiple people in many cultures.

When a child feels safe and cared for by the adults around them, they develop trust in themselves and the world. This trust between the child, the caregivers, and the world is the foundation for secure attachment and long-term emotional well-being.

I’m going to be very direct - as long as you are responding to and meeting the needs of the child, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, secure attachment will develop between you.? Even when circumstances damage the attachment forming between a child and caregiver, there are skills adults can learn to repair that attachment relationship over time, even if it’s been a few years. ?

We are going to mess up, miss a need, and even scare children at times, and yet as long as we are loving, attuned, and responsive MOST OF THE TIME, the attachment relationship should be ok.

I let out a sigh of relief writing this, and I hope you can breathe easier now too!?

Don’t get me wrong, a significant lack of attachment to primary caregivers is the root cause of many of the bio/psycho/social challenges we witness in children. To build this attachment, we must do our best to respond to children's emotional and physical needs, no matter what time of the day or night.?

When children are emotionally/physically neglected, ignored while in distress, and separated from primary caregivers for extended periods in early childhood, we commonly see trauma responses emerge. ?

The bad news: Children who experience emotional neglect by their primary caregivers develop a belief system that they are unsafe, and so is the world around them. This belief primes their nervous system to exist on high alert, making it difficult to trust new attachment figures, cope with stress, and learn. The child’s fear of what might happen if they trust adults again interrupts their progress along their natural developmental trajectory and makes it significantly challenging to love, learn, and grow. ?

The good news: Research supports that it is possible to build attachment with children, once they are in a safe, loving relationship and environment.

Here are a few easy suggestions to increase attachment and help children heal from trauma

One of my suggestions in the above image is to increase activities that build trust, and I have a special event in March that will help reduce your child’s anxiety AND build attachment with caregivers!?More details below.

NEW EVENT: Taming Childhood Anxiety with the Worry Ball Game

When: Thursday, March 14th

Time: 12-1:30 PM EST

Where: Online

REGISTER HERE

In this webinar, Beth Tyson, childhood trauma specialist, will guide families through the art of using logic and sassiness to tackle those pesky, irrational thoughts that often plague our little ones. The Worry Ball game is not just a game; it's a powerful cognitive behavioral therapy tool that empowers parents and children alike to confront fears head-on in a lighthearted and entertaining manner. Worry Ball was created by Dr. Inna Leiter , Founder of the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Join us for this interactive workshop filled with insights, anecdotes, and practical tips from a childhood trauma specialist who's not afraid to get real with you. Let's embark on this journey together and equip your family with the tools to stop irrational thoughts in their tracks. Say goodbye to fear and hello to a future filled with courage and laughter!

Money-back guarantee: If you are unsatisfied with the event, your money will be refunded at your request.

Grab this opportunity to build resilience and stop anxiety in its tracks. Secure your spot today and let the Worry Ball game be your family's secret power against anxious thoughts!

Improve Your Outcomes for Children

• Do you need a guest speaker or in-depth training on trauma-responsive care for children? If so, I have a couple of openings in the spring and summer for virtual and in-person events. Please reply to this email or contact me to schedule an exploratory call before they fill up.

• I have a win/win proposition for you! My new children’s book to help children cope with supervised visitation will be out soon, and I’ve heard from my community of social workers that this book is desperately needed. What better way to support your staff than with an author visit and book signing that also includes training on how to help children heal and build resilience after trauma?! Together, we can help families thrive!

Continue reading the FULL VERSION of this newsletter, where you will be introduced to Professor Selena Bartlett and her groundbreaking new book, Being Seen: Mastering Parenting in the Digital Age, as well as positive news from the field of trauma.

If you'd like to receive the monthly Childhood Trauma Newsletter in your inbox, subscribe HERE .

Thank you for being a part of my community and striving to make the world safer for children.

With hope, love, and healing,

Beth