The following resources on Complex Trauma were developed by the NCTSN.
Depicts Debbie, a 10 year old multiracial girl who lives with her 27 year old African American mother Sharon. Sharon has struggled for years with substance abuse. The family lived for several years in a shared space which was quite chaotic.
Presents eleven-year-old Clara in her third treatment session, sharing about the first sexual abuse she experienced. Clara’s growing discomfort is evident as she describes her mother’s former live-in boyfriend, Michael, and how the abuse progressed.
Depicts a moment when Rose initially directs her feeling of being victimized toward her therapist. Rose expresses that therapist’s contact with her mother and school has increased the stigma and vulnerability she feels, and her sense that she’s not getting the support she needs.
Presents trauma experts debating and exploring the pros and cons of adopting a formal Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) diagnosis.
Presents Jordyn, age 16, who lives with her mother, father, and two younger siblings and has been exposed to intimate partner violence and parental substance use, as well as prolonged periods of separation while her father was deployed in Afghanistan.
Presents, through dramatized therapy sessions, traumatized youth who are profoundly emotionally shut down or dissociative and how therapists can remain attuned to clients.
Focuses on how therapists can handle the challenge of remaining attuned to intensely distressed clients while also recognizing and regulating their own stress reactions.
Focuses on Michael (12-years old) and Trisha (16-years-old), who live with their mother Monica in a single-parent household. Five years ago, their father Neil was incarcerated after violently attacking and nearly killing Monica while the children were upstairs in their bedrooms.
Is a table of standardized measures that are appropriate for children and families dealing with complex trauma.
Presents the first therapy session of Samantha, a 15-year-old African American girl who lives in public housing in an urban area rife with violence and drug use.
Offers information on the assessment of complex trauma in children.
Offers parents and caregivers a brief checklist to use to determine if a complete assessment for complex trauma should be scheduled. This fact sheet will help parents and caregivers determine when to seek professional help.