Regulated & Relational

In this episode, Julie and Ginger discuss Secondary Traumatic Stress. This is a hard topic to talk about, but it is so important. Ginger says, “Secondary traumatic stress is a very real thing, especially for caregivers and teachers who work with children impacted by trauma.”

Secondary traumatic stress is sometimes called vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, or even burnout. It occurs when you feel emotions from knowing about a traumatizing event that was experienced by another person. The best way to combat secondary traumatic stress is self-care. Self-care is about the nurturing of your body, mind, and spirit. Julie and Ginger outline the top ways to take care of yourself.

Listen in for some self-care strategies   Figure out what works for you and begin to practice. “Practice” is the key word there. We will not be accomplished at self-care right away. It does take practice!

And… If you are a teacher, we have a great event just for you! Compliance to Compassion is a one-day virtual event focusing on managing behaviors in the classroom on Friday October 14th. There is an outstanding line up of speakers! Click here to learn more and to register: https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/compliance-to-compassion-fall-event-supports-teachers-in-virtual-event/

Today Julie and Ginger welcome Becky Haas into the studio. Becky’s background is in working with Resource Officers in schools by training them to become trauma informed. Her training has become a model for cities nationwide. Through her position as the Director of the Crime Prevention Program in Tennessee, she saw a reduction in drug related crime by 40% in one neighborhood. That is huge!

Trauma informed approaches are often not taught to officers despite their close presence with students. Becky believes that police officers want to do a great job, they just need training on the impact of trauma. She also believes that getting representatives from the community to come together with a common focus is vital.  Becky says, “Crime prevention can’t only involve police. This is community work!”

To learn more about Becky Haas and her work, go to www.BeckyHaas.com. Her site is rich with information. You can also reach out directly to her from her web page.

Join us for largest gathering of trauma sensitive educators at our upcoming Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools Conference in February 2023. Registration is now open at www.attachtrauma.org/conference.

Julie and Ginger welcome ATN friend Guy Stephens into the studio.  Guy is a lifelong Marylander, a father, a husband and a child advocate.  He began by advocating for appropriate accommodations and supports for his neurodivergent son, which led him to found the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. He is working to change policy and practices around the use of seclusion and restraint at the local, state, and federal levels. Guy says, “The biggest thing you have to change is the culture. You have to get buy-in from superintendents, school administrators, and others.” We do have a lot of paradigm shifting to do.

The website for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint is www.EndSeclusion.org. The organization also has a presence on FaceBook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.  You can email Guy directly at [email protected]

Join us on Friday, October 14 for Compliance to Compassion, a virtual learning event for teachers, paraprofessionals and all educators needing support and ideas in these challenging times. Click to register: https://events.zoom.us/e/view/vSrc1zKiSR2VoOCQ9NDobg

In this episode, Julie and Ginger are discussing boundaries.  They got a lot of insight from Brene Brown’s book, Atlas of the Heart. ATN’s Team R&R, an online community for educators, did a weekly dive into this great book. The recordings of the book study are available to Team R&R members.

Why is it so hard to set boundaries? Why is it the most hard for the givers? Why are boundaries so important? Brene says, “Boundaries are a prerequisite for compassion and empathy. You can’t connect with someone unless you are clear on where you end and where they begin.” Boundaries make us more authentic and build trust.  These are traits that are vital to us all. Listen in and learn a new way of thinking about boundary setting.

To order your copy of Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, visit ATN’s bookstore at https://bookshop.org/shop/AttachmentTraumaNetwork. Here you will find the largest collection of trauma focused books.

To learn more about Team R&R, go to https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/teamrr/.  Click Join Team R&R to gain access to a library of Trauma Sensitive School resources.

Today Julie and Ginger talk about praise and how to use it effectively in the home and in the classroom.  They also discuss some of the challenges of praise, especially with children from a history of trauma. Why do our children often reject praise? How does encouragement differ from praise?  What are some techniques you can use?  First and foremost, praise MUST be sincere and sometimes you must approach praise from a counter intuitive lens.  Our hosts share some ideas of how to do this, specifically by using drive by praising and indirect praising. Listen in for examples.

Visit ATN’s on-line store and view our Connected Messages Post It Notes at https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/product/post-it-notes/.  These notes pack a powerful punch.

And … Be sure to leave us feedback because we can always use a little praise (or constructive feedback)  ourselves!

In this episode, Julie and Ginger talk about their latest book study, Atlas of the Heart, by Brene Brown.  ATN’s Team R&R, an online community for educators, is doing a weekly dive into this great book. One part of this book really stood out to Julie and Ginger, the chapter on Disappointment, Unmet Expectations and Regret.  They said that we all have movies running in our heads showing the outcomes we expect, however, since life doesn’t always play out as expected, that leads to disappointment.  Unexpressed expectations can lead to these disappointments.  Communication is one key to alleviate it. Ginger’s favorite quote in this chapter from Brene is, “There are too many people in the world today who decide to live disappointed, rather than risk the feeling of disappointment.” Wow.  What a quote that is!

To order your copy of Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, visit ATN’s bookstore at https://bookshop.org/shop/AttachmentTraumaNetwork. Here you will find the largest collection of trauma focused books.

To learn more about Team R&R, go to https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/teamrr/.  Click Join Team R&R to gain access to a library of Trauma Sensitive School resources.

In this episode, Julie and Ginger welcome Jack Hinman into the studio.  Jack is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and he has been providing mental health services to individuals and families for over 20 years. Jack specializes in Attachment Theory and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). He focuses on helping young adults launch into adulthood through an attachment focused lens. Jack says that, “Connection is both the outcome and the intervention.” In mid-June, the Engage Transitions facility will be opening in Cedar City, Utah. This is a therapeutic community that gives young adults the confidence to safely explore their environment.  The goal is to have the young adults create their own social networks using Engage as their secure base. To learn more about Engage, go to www.engagelifenow.com. You can also email Jack at [email protected].  Jack proudly proclaims, “Attachment is my language.”

In this episode, Julie and Ginger welcome Jethro Jones into the studio to discuss social media and its impact on traumatized children.  Jethro is the 2017 NASSP Digital Principal of the Year. He is a former principal and host of Transformative Principal.  He is the founder of the Center for Cyber Ethics, an independent nonpartisan educational institute. He is an author of 2 books: SchoolX: How Principals Can Design a Transformative School Experience for Students, Teachers, Parents – And Themselves and How to be a Transformative Principal.  Additionally, he works as a consultant in school systems. Jethro says. “We can’t expect children to do things that they aren’t ready for” and social media is one of those things. Jethro lays out some strategies for parents and teachers on how to help children navigate the social media world.

You can reach out directly to Jethro and order his books at www.JethroJones.com.

In this episode, Julie and Ginger have long-time ATN friend, Jane Samuel in the studio.  Jane is a marriage and family associate whose practice focuses on children and families with an attachment-focused lens. Many of her clients are foster and adoptive families.  In this episode, she talks about the value of narratives and storytelling. What exactly is a narrative?  How can this be used in healing? Storytelling is useful in all settings – by parents, by teachers, and by clinicians. Jane also suggests that caregivers use books to open up discussions of hard topics.  Jane has compiled a list of books that she recommends, organized by topics and feelings.  For a list of books that Jane recommends, go here: https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/Janes-book-list.pdf.

According to Dr. Curt Thompson, “We are the only mammals that narrate our lives.” What a gift we have!

In this episode, Ginger and Julie dive into Restorative Practices with Joe Brummer in the studio.  Joe is an expert in developing trauma-informed and restorative approaches in schools and organizations.  He is a consultant and author of the book, Building a Trauma-Informed Restorative School. This book can be ordered from ATN’s bookstore at Building a Trauma Informed Restorative School.  Joe is also a member of ATN’s PD Collaborative, a group of trauma-informed educational experts available to provide PD training, consultation and support to school districts and organizations embarking on becoming trauma-informed.

Joe explains what Restorative Practices are and how these practices are implemented in schools. How do these practices differ from punitive practices and why do they work? Joe says, “The paradigm shift is the knowledge that the wrong-doing caused a break in relationships, not a break in rules.”

To get more information, or reach out to Joe, go to JoeBrummer.com.

For more information about ATN’s PD Collaborative, go here: https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/atn-announces-new-pd-collaborative/.