0 
This book provides a structured, sequential, and evidence-based approach for treating children and adolescents who are experiencing trauma or grief. This approach can be used for all types of traumatic events and is suitable for both experienced and novice mental health professionals. Two of the interventions presented in the book; SITCAP-ART and I Feel Better Now; have proven useful in multiple settings with diverse cultures.
This book reflects a resilience perspective and explores the factors that lead to and support resilience and recovery. Accessible and practical, this useful guide is filled with all the activities needed for individual sessions; packaged in an easily reproducible format.
Foreword xi
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xix
Chapter One How Structured, Sensory Interventions Help Grieving and Traumatized Children 1
Chapter Two Children’s Experiences With Grief and Trauma 21
Chapter Three Trauma-Informed Principles and Practices 45
Chapter Four Structured Drawing Activities 67
Chapter Five Curiosity and the Trauma Questioning Process 85
Chapter Six Meeting Children in Their World 103
Chapter Seven Incorporating SITCAP in Schools and Community-Based Organizations 123
Chapter Eight Interventions With Parents and Guardians 145
Chapter Nine Nurturing Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth 171
Appendices
About the Authors 229
References 231
Author Index 243
Subject Index 245
"This much-needed book effectively argues for the use of structured activities as the basis for exploring trauma-specific questions in clinical work with traumatized children and adolescents. Numerous examples of children’s artwork enhance the book and illustrate the effectiveness of the treatment. The authors’ methods have been used successfully for many years and represent a major contribution to the study of trauma that will be welcomed by both students and seasoned practitioners."
- Nancy Boyd Webb, DSW, LICSW, RPT-S, Professor of Social Work Emerita, Fordham University
Author: Play therapy with Children in Crisis, 3rd ed.
"In the sea of rhetoric about trauma-informed care, What Matters Most delivers answers that will make a difference to young people right now. This book equips professionals working at all levels with young people impacted by trauma to do their work differently, incorporating one fundamental principle that stands above all else: this work is not about doing to children, but being with children, and empowering them in their own healing journey. From neuroscience to relational practice, this book is the most compelling and practical story about trauma treatment told to date."
- Kiaras Gharabaghi, Ph.D, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
"The authors provide a clear theoretical framework AND demonstrate practical sensory-based activities so kids can discover and reconnect with their bodies' agency and vitality. Refreshingly, this vehicle creates an emotionally safe journey for the child into the mystery of the experiential, embedded in implicit memory. It's chock full of invitations to explore self-impressions and worldview in a way that children feel seen; not assessed"
- Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. founder of the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute and author of Waking the Tiger and In an Unspoken Voice & Maggie Kline, MS, LMFT, School Psychologist, SE Faculty, co-author of Trauma through a Child's Eyes and Trauma-Proofing Your Kids
