Regulated & Relational

In this episode, Julie and Ginger invite Connie Persike into the studio to talk about interoception, one of our hidden senses.    Interoception is the ability to process information from inside our bodies that affects our behavior, our health, and our well-being.

Connie is a highly experienced Speech Language Pathologist and educational consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in the educational setting. She is also a published writer and blogger. Connie created a process to assess student behavior which deviates from the traditional behaviorism approach.  Her approach aligns with current relational neuroscience.

What is interoception?  What does it look like? How can a teacher or caregiver help a child recognize it? Connie says, “Interoception is the foundation of self-regulation. Without it, we cannot become self-aware and attribute meaning to that”.

We need to teach children to just take a pause and notice what they are feeling and where in their bodies they are feeling it. This is something we all need!

Connie’s motto is Connection + Collaboration = Endless Possibilities. Wow!

To learn more, visit Connie’s website at https://supportablesolutions.com.

In this episode, Julie and Ginger invite a special guest, Bill Zee, into the studio. Bill is the Chair of the Education Law Group at Appel, Yost & Zee in Lancaster PA. Bill has over 15 years of experience in school and special education law. He is both an educator by degree and an early childhood trauma survivor.  As a result, Bill is passionate about the journey of making schools trauma informed. Bill is also an ATN Board member making this one of the most diversified boards ever. 

Bill was led to the field of special education law by first becoming an educator. He says that, “Educators made such a huge difference in my life and I always wanted to make that same difference.” He then transitioned into law with the goal of focusing on school law. Pennsylvania is leading the movement to have schools become trauma-informed.  It is invaluable for educators to be knowledgeable of trauma informed language, understand that parents bring baggage, and be willing to acknowledge that parents are part of the team.

Pa is definitely one of the states we should be watching!

In this session, Julie and Ginger invite Dr. Jon Baylin into the studio.   Dr. Baylin received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University in 1981 and he has been working in the mental health field for 35 years.   He has immersed himself in the study of neuroscience and in teaching mental health practitioners about the brain. Dr. Baylin delivers keynote addresses nationally and internationally. He collaborates with Dr. Daniel Hughes and their first book, Brain Based Parenting, was released in 2012. In 2016, their second book, The Neurobiology of Attachment-Focused Therapy was released.

Today, Julie, Ginger and Dr. Baylin are talking about the “Power of the Pause”.  Dr. Baylin says a child’s brain, especially one that has experience childhood trauma, is all about getting a very quick reaction to things, but sometimes that fast reaction is not the best. By teaching the children the power of the pause, we can help them gain self-control and feel empowerment.  The pause helps all of us move beyond only using our amygdala and using the higher

Listen in to learn more about this concept and how it truly is based in relationship.

To order Dr. Baylin and Dr. Hughes’ books, visit ATN’s Bookshop at https://bookshop.org/shop/AttachmentTraumaNetwork.

In this episode, Julie and Ginger discuss the concept of “Felt Safety”.   You can’t trust, heal, or learn in a state of unsafety.  This isn’t only about physical safety, but this concept also includes emotional safety.   It’s all about the state of your nervous system.  Listen in to understand what happens in a child’s brain when they are unsafe, either from a perceived or actual threat.  Ginger says, “Children need help returning to the baseline of felt safety through co-regulation.” That is the adult’s responsibility.

Safety is always first, so how does the adult bring about a feeling of safety for the child.  First, believe in the child and listen to what they are experiencing.  Next, increase predictability, structure, and routine.  Also, be careful with your tone of voice. Avoid sarcasm and avoid yelling. And remember - creating an environment of felt safety is important for all children, not just those with early childhood trauma. It is for all of us!

To order ATN’s Calm Kits, visit ATN’s store at https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/atn-store-educator/. Videos on how to use each calm kit item is included with the purchase.

If you choose to create your own “calm kit”, be sure to include tactile items such as fidgets, squishies, silly putty, silicone sponges, shaving cream, weighted blankets, mini tramps, crash pads, pillows and chair bands, just to name a few.

To join our upcoming book study, go to https://www.tfaforms.com/5060290. To sign up for our Movies That Matter Series, click https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/movies-that-matter-series/  Hope to see you there!

In this episode, Julie and Ginger discuss the concept of “Felt Safety”.   You can’t trust, heal, or learn in a state of unsafety.  This isn’t only about physical safety, but this concept also includes emotional safety.   It’s all about the state of your nervous system.  Listen in to understand what happens in a child’s brain when they are unsafe, either from a perceived or actual threat.  Ginger says, “Children need help returning to the baseline of felt safety through co-regulation.” That is the adult’s responsibility.

Safety is always first, so how does the adult bring about a feeling of safety for the child.  First, believe in the child and listen to what they are experiencing.  Next, increase predictability, structure, and routine.  Also, be careful with your tone of voice. Avoid sarcasm and avoid yelling. And remember - creating an environment of felt safety is important for all children, not just those with early childhood trauma. It is for all of us!

To order ATN’s Calm Kits, visit ATN’s store at https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/atn-store-educator/. Videos on how to use each calm kit item is included with the purchase.

If you choose to create your own “calm kit”, be sure to include tactile items such as fidgets, squishies, silly putty, silicone sponges, shaving cream, weighted blankets, mini tramps, crash pads, pillows and chair bands, just to name a few.

To join our upcoming book study, go to https://www.tfaforms.com/5060290. To sign up for our Movies That Matter Series, click https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/movies-that-matter-series/  Hope to see you there!

Today Julie and Ginger invite Jessica Sinarski into the studio. If you think her name seems familiar, then you are correct. Jessica has been here before. This is her second appearance with us!  Jessica is a therapist, speaker and change maker. She is the founder of Brave Brains and the author of the Riley the Brave series, Hello Anger and more. Her latest book, Riley the Brave’s Sensational Senses, teaches children about their senses with strategies for emotional

We are all familiar with the five senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – but Jessica says there are three more!  Listen in to learn about those additional senses. Additionally, Jessica has great advice on how adults can help children deal with difficult sensory input.  She

To order Jessica’s books, go to ATN’s bookshop at https://bookshop.org/shop/AttachmentTraumaNetwork.

To learn more about her work go to her websites at www.BraveBrains.com and www.JessicaSinarski.com .

In this episode Ginger and Julie invite Tracy Leonard into the studio. Tracy is the Programming and Partnership Manager at the non-profit, Darkness to Light.  Darkness to Light empowers adults to prevent child abuse.  She is also an authorized facilitator and certified instructor at Darkness to Light. The curriculum focuses on how to recognize, react, and respond to child sexual abuse. Tracy is also vital to ATN as a board member and the leader of the development team.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, so this episode is very timely. The US Department of Health and Human Services recently put out their report for 2021 stating that 76% of all children experience neglect. 16% experience physical abuse and 10% experience sexual abuse…  And realize - these are the reported cases. 

Darkness to Light believes that it is an adult’s responsibility to protect children and it is a child’s responsibility to be a child. Listen in to learn more about the curriculum that Darkness to Light developed and presents.  They focus on how to minimize the opportunity for sexual abuse.  If it does happen, adults are taught how to react. Adults are also taught how to intervene if they see someone crossing the boundary by being an active bystander. Tracy says that it is amazing to see all the light bulbs go off during the training.

To learn more about the Darkness to Light program, to go https://www.d2l.org/  .

In this Episode, Julie and Ginger welcome Dr. Janyne McConnaugheyinto the studio.   Janyne has a long career in teaching, teacher education and an expertise in early childhood development. Dr. McConnaughey is a nationally known trauma-informed author, having lived with the effects of childhood sexual abuse from the time she was three years old until she entered therapy and began healing at the age of 61. Janyne joined ATN’s Board of Directors in 2019 and is now in her second year as the Board President. Her latest book is “Trauma in the Pews”.

Janyne’s mission with this book is to help ministry leaders understand what they are seeing in their congregations. What they are seeing is not a spiritual problem; What they are seeing is the impact of trauma. Janyne knows that there are a lot of books out there that look at this situation through a spiritual lens, but, as she says, “No - we must look at it through a trauma lens.”

To purchase any of Dr. McConnaughey’s books, go the ATN’s bookshop at https://bookshop.org/shop/AttachmentTraumaNetwork. To learn more about her, go to her website at https://www.janyne.org/.

Janyne says that “without ATN, this book would not have been written.” Thank you Janyne for your service to both ATN and the trauma- informed movement.

In this episode, Julie and Ginger welcome Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz into the studio to talk about the concept of the River of Cruelty. Rebecca fought her way out of poverty and now works with communities and school across the US to solve poverty and heal trauma. She is a Co-Founder of the ESSDACK Resilience Team. What exactly is the River of Cruelty? It is a model showing how cruelty is passed from person to person and from generation to generation.  How do people get out of the River? Listen in to understand how the Resilience Team helps with that mission. The team’s motto is, “In order to create more positive outcomes for children, we must focus on transforming the adults who are important in those children’s lives.” Rebecca coined the popular Resilience phrase “I see you, I hear you, I am with you.” This is the foundation for building resilience in ALL kids, parents and school staff.

To learn more about the Family Peace Initiative, go to https://www.familypeaceinitiative.com/ and to learn more about ESSDACK, go to https://www.essdack.org/.

To register for ATN’s Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference, go to https://www.attachmenttraumanetwork.org/conference/.

In this episode, Julie and Ginger talk about the concept of “Blocked Care”. Drs. Daniel Hughes and Jonathan Baylin first coined this concept in their book, Brain Based Parenting. This book was written with foster parents in mind, but blocked care can also be experienced by teachers and other caregivers of children impacted by early childhood trauma. What exactly does blocked care mean to caregivers and how can we avoid it? What are the signs of blocked care? Julie says. “The first sign is when you are doing all the right things, but the child’s neurobiology is reacting negatively. Your brain begins to react because you aren’t getting a reciprocal relationship. You are going through the motions but begin to expect no connections. Basically, your heart suddenly isn’t in it anymore.” If this sounds like you, we want to assure you that you’re not alone. This happens almost instinctively as a way of protecting yourself, but Julie and Ginger discuss some ways to help you through it. Recognize that this is not unusual and there is no shame in feeling this way. This is how we are wired. Reach out to ATN! This is why we are here. We can help you find resources. To order a copy of the book, Brain Based Parenting, go to ATN’s bookstore at https://bookshop.org/shop/AttachmentTraumaNetwork.