Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
The University of Kentucky, Human Development Institute
First Presenter’s Email Address
jamie.like@uky.edu
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Jamie has worked with children and families for over 25 years. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Sciences-Psychology from the University of Southern Indiana and also attended both Vincennes University and Indiana State University. Jamie has worked in mental health in some capacity for the span of her career. She has worked in psychiatric hospitals, counseling agencies and from 2001 to 2021, she worked for Henderson County Schools in KY. After retiring from Henderson County Schools, Jamie went to work for the University of Kentucky as an Evaluation Analyst for the Human Development Institute. She has received extensive training through a "Train the Trainer" Learning Collaborative on "Trauma Informed Care for Schools" provided by the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma and Children. From 2019 to 2021she was a Peer Network Co-Chair for the University of Kentucky’s Center on Trauma and Children. She is also a certified Youth Mental Health Instructor. She has presented at the Kentucky Behavioral Institute in Louisville, KY and the 4 C's conference in Evansville, IN. She presented at the National Youth at Risk Conference in Savannah, Ga in 2020 and as a Featured Speaker for the NYAR Conference in both 2021 and 2022. She has also given multiple presentations to local community groups and organizations related to the topic of childhood trauma.
Location
Session 1 Breakout (Sloane)
Strand #1
Heart: Social & Emotional Skills
Strand #2
Health: Mental & Physical Health
Relevance
The presentation will follow one child's journey who experienced multiple instances of complex trauma. Despite a very high ACE score, she was positively connected to multiple adults, was able to develop resilience, find recovery, hope, and purpose. A high ACE score doesn't have to “doom" a child to lifelong issues because there are things, we can do to mitigate that damage.
Brief Program Description
Audience would include any school staff, counselors, social workers, parents and community members. Many children who experience complex trauma struggle emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. In this session, participants will earn to never underestimate the impact they can make on the life of a child, that damage from childhood trauma can be mitigated and that relationships, relationships, relationships are the key to everything!
Summary
Alarming numbers of children are experiencing multiple instances of trauma across the country. In Kentucky alone, the Commonwealth had over 20,000 abuse victims in 2019 giving Kentucky the highest rate of child abuse in the nation for the third year in a row.
Many children who experience complex trauma have poor coping skills, difficulty trusting others, difficulty managing their emotions, see themselves as "damaged", are easily triggered, vigilant and guarded, have distorted thinking, manipulative and maladaptive behaviors, have difficulty believing that life can be better and are often waiting for "the other shoe to drop" in many instances.
In this session, participants will be able to follow one child's journey through physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, abandonment, and neglect. Despite multiple instances of trauma across many settings, this child had exposure to positive corrective relationships with multiple adults, learned to turn negative situations into positive ones and learned that she possessed many strengths and positive coping skills.
Participants will learn that although a child may have a high ACE score that they aren't doomed to experience long term health consequences. Because of the malleable nature of the brain, adults can help mitigate the damage of childhood trauma simply by forming strong supportive connections with them. Participants will learn how to communicate to a child that there can be light at the end of the tunnel and that where we come from has everything to do with where we are at, but is doesn't dictate where we are going. Finally, participants will learn to never underestimate the impact that they can make in the life of a child and that relationships, relationships, relationships are ethe key to everything!
Evidence
Research and statistics are cited by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
Excerpts are used from a Louisville Courier Journal published February 2, 2021 detailing the 2019: Child Maltreatment report from the Children's Bureau of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Excerpts and statistics are used from Prevent Child Abuse Georgia https://www.PCAGeorgia.org
Excerpts about trauma sensitive schools is from https://traumasensitiveschools.org
Research by (Tedeschi and Calhoun) is presented about Post Traumatic Growth
Coping Skills information is from Kilburn, E & Whitlock, JL).
Resilience is defined by (Matsen, 2013).
(Petty, 2014 gives the "Ten Ways to Foster Resilience in Young Children."
Learning Objective 1
Participants will be able to recognize that even though a child may have a high ACE score that they aren't doomed to experience long term health consequences.
Learning Objective 2
Participants will be able to communicate to a child that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel and that there where we come from has everything to do with where we are, but it doesn't dictate where we are going.
Learning Objective 3
Participants will be able to understand that they should never underestimate the impact that they can make in the life of a child and that relationships, relationships, relationships at the key to everything!
Keyword Descriptors
Resilience, Complex Trauma, Hope, Healing, Purpose
Presentation Year
2023
Start Date
3-6-2023 10:15 AM
End Date
3-6-2023 11:30 AM
Recommended Citation
Like, Jamie S. Ms., "A Girl Named Sue: A Child's Journey From Complex Trauma to Hope, Healing & Recovery" (2023). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 2.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2023/2023/2
A Girl Named Sue: A Child's Journey From Complex Trauma to Hope, Healing & Recovery
Session 1 Breakout (Sloane)
Audience would include any school staff, counselors, social workers, parents and community members. Many children who experience complex trauma struggle emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. In this session, participants will earn to never underestimate the impact they can make on the life of a child, that damage from childhood trauma can be mitigated and that relationships, relationships, relationships are the key to everything!
