{"id":37602,"date":"2018-03-27T07:30:02","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T14:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=37602"},"modified":"2018-03-27T07:31:36","modified_gmt":"2018-03-27T14:31:36","slug":"7-ways-to-help-a-child-heal-from-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/7-ways-to-help-child-heal-from-trauma-0327185","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways to Help a Child Heal from Trauma"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MotherWhen children experience abuse<\/a>, abandonment<\/a>, or other deep hurts, the adults in their lives may not know how to help them. Many people believe topics like psychological healing only belong to the professionals. But \u201cprofessionals,\u201d however helpful they may be, do not have enough time to impact children in the same way as those who are involved with them daily.<\/p>\n

This article is meant to help parents and caregivers support the children<\/a>, adolescents, and even adults in their lives who are overcoming the damage caused by an abusive relationship or other types of\u00a0trauma<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. Teach Your Child to Talk<\/h2>\n

It is important to remember two words when working with anyone experiencing trauma and hurt: \u201chope\u201d and \u201cencouragement.\u201d This isn\u2019t about telling someone they should paint over all their problems with happy thoughts. Instead, it is about offering a way out from the despair left over from trauma.<\/p>\n

Talk to your child about what happened. There is no way to manage trauma without at least acknowledging that it happened. Most people are raised in homes where no one talks about \u201cthe elephant in the room.\u201d But if you want to help a person heal from any type of hurt or trauma, it is important to discuss it.<\/p>\n

Once you begin talking about difficult subjects, you give your child permission to as well. You are teaching them it is okay to talk about these things.

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2. The ‘Trauma Narrative\u2019<\/h2>\n

One useful tool for healing is the \u201ctrauma narrative.\u201d It is a book created by a child, sometimes with the help of an adult, that tells the story of what happened. Each page shows a scene in the \u201cdrama,\u201d with the climax being where the worst part of the trauma occurred. If the child has complex trauma involving many different types of abuse, including emotional abuse<\/a>, the story could be written without a climax but include different pieces of what happened.<\/p>\n

Once you begin talking about difficult subjects, you give your child permission to as well. You are teaching them it is okay to talk about these things. <\/span><\/p>\n

Helping a child create their trauma narrative by drawing different pictures and writing about the steps leading up to significant events can be very therapeutic. Once the book is complete, sitting down with the child and reading it helps them continue to process through feelings associated with the events and helps them overcome the effects of the trauma.<\/p>\n

3. Teach Your Child to Trust Themselves<\/h2>\n

Children are often impressionable. It is so easy to teach a child that they cannot trust themselves. Particularly in abusive homes, children are taught not to feel or to think on their own. They are usually taught to do what their parent says without question and to overlook their own experiences.<\/p>\n

Teaching a child to trust their intuition is not overly difficult, though it often takes time. Start by having a discussion with your child about how important it is to trust one\u2019s own inner voice, or conscience. Continue asking your child how they feel about certain experiences. This act will help your child learn that to look inside is an important aspect of life.<\/p>\n

4. Show Your Child How to Grieve<\/h2>\n

Most children (and really, most adults) are not taught how to grieve<\/a>. Most people are taught \u201cDon\u2019t cry,\u201d \u201cKeep difficult emotions to yourself,\u201d \u201cBe strong,\u201d \u201cMove on,\u201d and other similar methods of coping with loss. When working with emotionally injured children, you can best help them by not only teaching them how to talk about their feelings, but also about how to grieve.<\/p>\n

How do you do this? There are a couple of ways:<\/p>\n