Treating Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolesc: How to Foster Resilience through Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency

Tens of thousands of clinicians have used this book - now revised & expanded with 50% new material - to plan & organise effective interventions for children & adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, as well as their parents & other caregivers. The Attachment, Regulation, & Competency (ARC) framework can be used in a wide range of settings to strengthen child - caregiver relationships & support healthy development & positive functioning. Packed with case vignettes & user-friendly clinical tools, the volume identifies key treatment goals & provides flexible intervention strategies & skills. In a large-size format with lay-flat binding for easy photocopying, the book includes 79 reproducible handouts & forms. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download & print the reproducible materials.

New to This Edition:

• Reflects the ongoing development of ARC, including important refinements to foundational strategies & treatment targets.
• More than 30 additional handouts & worksheets; all reproducible tools are now downloadable.
• Greater attention to caregiver skill development throughout.
• Addresses ways ARC is being used in non-traditional settings (schools, day care, primary care practices) as well as diverse clinical contexts.

Table of Contents

Introduction

I. Overview

• 1. The Developmental Impact of Trauma
• 2. Child Development, the Human Danger Response, and Adaptation: A Three-Part Model for Understanding Child Behaviors
• 3. The Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency Treatment Framework

II. Attachment

• 4. Caregiver Management of Affect
• 5. Attunement
• 6. Consistent Caregiver Response
• 7. Building Routines and Rituals
• Beyond Attachment: The Role of the Caregiving System in Building and Supporting Regulation and Competency

III. Self-Regulation

• 8. Affect Identification
• 9. Modulation
• 10. Affect Expression

IV. Competency

• 11. Strengthening Executive Functions
• 12. Self-Development and Identity

V. Integration

• 13. Trauma Experience Integration

A Postscript

Appendices

• Appendix A. Provider Materials
• Appendix B. Caregiver Educational Materials and Worksheets
• Appendix C. Group Activities
• Appendix D. Youth Educational Handouts and Worksheets
• Appendix E. Milieu–Systems Materials

Additional Resources

"This book is rooted in a lucid understanding of developmental and attachment processes and the impact that trauma has on them. Described in a way that reflects years of clinical experience, the interventions are sensitive to the complexities of clinical work with children, and provide guidance for working with caregivers, families, and systems of care. The book is encyclopedic—it is chock-full of information on everything from developmental theory to therapist self-care, matching interventions to patient needs, and implementation strategies."
- Marylene Cloitre, PhD, Associate Director of Research, National Center for PTSD Dissemination and Training Division; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

"Confronted with the suffering of a child exposed to stress and adversity, it is easy for a clinician to become overwhelmed, unsure where to even begin addressing the complexly troubled and often chaotic lives of the child and his or her caregiving system. The ARC framework avoids doing what is all too common—simply affixing a diagnostic label to a traumatized child and providing a referral to a physician for medication. In clear, accessible, and direct language, using case illustrations, the authors present an integrative framework for addressing complex developmental trauma and the behaviors that signify it. ARC respects the art of therapeutic intervention while offering concrete goals, strategies, and interventions to guide the process of treatment toward health and well-being."
- Sandra L. Bloom, MD, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University

"The second edition of this extraordinary volume offers an even more integrated and comprehensive resource. The authors have fine-tuned the ARC framework, seamlessly linking theory and practice, individuals and systems, the needs and resources of children and their caregivers, behavior and triggers, and problems and solutions. They know what makes these kids tick—and how to help them. ARC is a practical, reassuring, step-wise approach that helps us to increase our own capacity for attachment, regulation, and competence as we do the same for dysregulated kids and their overwhelmed systems. If you have reached an impasse with a distressed child in the home, office, school, or treatment center, or if you need just the right handout, activity, worksheet, session tracking checklist, or educational resource to support traumatized children and caregivers, this essential book is for you."
- Martha B. Straus, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology, Antioch University New England

"The second edition of this excellent treatment guide provides cutting-edge information on working with children who have been exposed to complex developmental trauma and their caregivers. Adaptable for a variety of settings, ARC offers detailed strategies that increase the child’s integration of traumatic experiences and the caregiver’s capacities to nurture, parent, and provide optimal attachment experiences. Theoretical concepts are illustrated throughout by case examples, and are linked to extensive practical material on the core domains of attachment, regulation, and competency. This book represents an important contribution to the child trauma field and is highly recommended for new and experienced clinicians alike."
- Cheryl Lanktree, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

"An excellent resource for professionals in both clinical and educational settings. Blaustein and Kinniburgh effectively explain the complexity of developmental trauma, its impact on youth, and the need for individualized treatment, and present their ARC framework. The second edition elaborates on applications of ARC outside traditional clinical settings. It provides useful tools for professionals working with traumatized children, including downloadable activities and worksheets. Graduate students in school psychology, school counseling, pediatric neuropsychology, and clinical child psychology will benefit from reading this book in classes and using it as a resource in their future careers."
- Terry Diamanduros, PhD, School Psychology Program, Georgia Southern University