In the next two episodes, Julie and Ginger deep dive into the concept of therapeutic parenting. The healing of childhood trauma comes directly from relationships and a child’s biggest relationship is with their parents. We must be the buffer for the child. This is how resilience is created. Ginger says, “This is all about rewiring the child’s brain.”

The number one tenet of therapeutic parent is safety. Safety always comes first. Listen in to learn what it means to have felt safety by all family members.

Hear what becoming a major league parent is all about! But... know that this hard work and we must give ourselves a lot of grace!

To order ATN’s Parenting Cards, go to our on-line store at: https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/atn-store-parents/. You can find many great resources there!

In this episode Julie and Ginger welcome Scott Kuenneke and Mary DeMichele into the studio.

Scott is an integral part of the CALO Programs Residential Treatment Facility clinical team and he oversees all Neurofeedback and QEEG brain maps for assessment and treatment. Mary developed “One Rule Improv”, a trauma-informed method of improv that creates a neurobiological change in the brain. Her method is used in classrooms, outpatient programs, foster care groups, group homes, RTCs and corporations.

The combined knowledge of these two individuals is amazing.  They have aligned the techniques and strategies of improv with what actually happens in the brain and how that can become a healing tool.

Mary says that improv is great in the classroom because, “No matter what mood the students are in when they enter the classroom, improv puts everyone in a better state.”

To get more information about Mary’s method, go to www.OneRuleImprov.com.  You can also email her directly at [email protected].

Join us on October 14 for our Compliance to Compassion event, a full day virtual event focusing on hope, reframing our lenses, and compassionate solutions in schools. Hope to “see” you there!

Julie and Ginger invite Sandra Lake and James Moffett into the studio. They are both awesome trauma informed educators, and in this episode, they are discussing what it is like in schools this year versus last year. They both agree that safety and security are paramount, but how can that be accomplished in a non-traumatizing way? – Relationships. Its all about relationships. Sandra says, “Whatever amount of time you spend building relationships with your kids, double it. Double that time because the payout is huge.” James says that his school is making a move from focusing on “every” student to focusing on “each” student.

Listen in to find out what is a walk and talk, what is a tap in tap out, what is a hang out, what is a flip flop. These are the techniques they are using in their schools to help regulate not only the students, but also the staff.

What incredible words of wisdom they share!

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.”