Trauma-Informed Practices

A free training with Dr. Gizane Indart and Jessica Gershwin

 

THIS TRAINING IS NOW FULL. 

To be added to the waiting list, please email: anna@denvercac.org

 

Join us for a two-day free training (February 22nd & 23rd) that focuses on further understanding the impact of trauma on a child's developing brain, and learn ways to mitigate that trauma for child victims and promote their healing. These workshops are designed for anyone who works with children - day care providers, teachers, social workers, foster parents, community volunteers and first responders to crimes against children. 

If you have ever wondered if there is a better way to help kids who are withdrawn and anxious, or acting out and disruptive, these workshops are for you. When kindness and compassion, setting boundaries and practicing positive discipline aren't working, it may be that those "difficult" kids are suffering from trauma. 

February 22nd - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
The Impact of Trauma on the Developing Child: 

A child's brain development is profoundly influenced by his or her experience. Adverse experiences such as abuse, neglect or exposure to violence can shape the organization of the brain which, in turn, influences the capacity of the brain to help a child think, feel and behave. The impact of any event is likely to be most profound on the systems in the brain which are most rapidly developing. Therefore, depending upon the specific time in development that the traumatic event takes place, as well as the specific nature of adverse experience, a range of problems can arise, from delayed development to impulsivity to severe emotional problems. When the exposure to violence is compounded by the loss of protection from the child's primary caregivers, brain development becomes particularly vulnerable and the spectrum of symptoms exhibited expand.

Understanding the origins of these problems and how they can be identified and addressed is one of the major challenges for professionals working with traumatized children

February 23rd - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm 
Trauma-Informed Care: 

Trauma is found in multiple service systems. It occurs as a result of violence, abuse, neglect, loss, war, disasters, and exposure to other adverse life experiences. The impact of traumatic stress, especially during sensitive developmental, is the disruption of multiple biological systems, resulting in physiological, psychological, social and behavioral problems. The need to understand and effectively address trauma is an essential component of effective service delivery. The growing awareness and acknowledgement that trauma survivors were being re-traumatized by the very systems that were designed to care for them made it necessary to change “how we do business.” The effectiveness of researched-based, trauma-sensitive treatments are either enhanced or diminished by the organizational culture, leadership practices, and conditions in which the services are delivered.

This training will explore the concept of organization as living systems and their sensitivity to stress. Participants will gain knowledge about how to make their organization more responsive to the developmental needs of clients who have suffered trauma and reduce the risk of re-traumatization. Principles of a trauma-informed system will be shared and the process for changing the language, practices, and policies of every part of the organization as a necessary step for achieving success. 

About the trainers - 

Dr. Gizane Indart is a bilingual and bicultural professional who has worked with traumatized children and their families since the early 1990s. Gizane is a ChildTrauma fellow at the ChildTrauma Academy under the direction of Dr. Bruce Perry. She speaks locally, nationally and internationally on the impact of abuse and neglect in early development, attachment difficulties in children exposed to maltreatment, and sexualized behaviors in children. Gizane is a member of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, the Advisory Counsel for the Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families, and the Florence Crittenton Board of Directors.

Jessica Gershwin is a bilingual child and family therapist, who joined the DCAC team in 2014 with more than 10 years of experience working with children, teens, and families. She spent six years in urban schools, first as an ESL teacher in East Harlem, then as a bilingual therapist at a school-based health clinic in Manhattan, and finally as a K-8 school counselor in Northeast Denver. Jessica holds master's degrees in education and social work.  She is also a registered yoga teacher for children and adults, and she regularly incorporates mindfulness, breath-work, and movement in her therapy with clients. 

Register Now!