A Girl Named Sue: A Child's Journey from Complex Trauma to Hope, Healing & Recovery

Format

Individual Presentation

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Building Blocks

First Presenter’s Email Address

jlike@buildingblocks.net

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Jamie has worked with children and families for almost 30 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences-Psychology from the University of Southern Indiana and a graduate certificate through the University of Kentucky in Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Jamie has worked with children and families, in some capacity, for the span of her career. She retired from a 20-year career with Henderson County Schools in KY in 2021. She currently works for Building Blocks in Evansville, IN which is a non-profit whose mission includes the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to develop into a healthy, contributing citizen. She has presented at numerous conferences.

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Scarbrough 5

Strand #1

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

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

Many children who experience complex trauma struggle emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. In this session, participants will follow one child's journey to hope, healing and recovery. Participants will learn 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 12,000 abuse victims in 2022. This means that for every 1,000 children in Kentucky, 12.3 experienced some type of substantiated abuse or neglect while the national average is far below that at 7.7 per 1,000 children.

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 the 2022 Child Maltreatment report. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2024). Child Maltreatment 2022. Available from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment.)

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

2025

Start Date

3-5-2025 9:45 AM

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Mar 5th, 9:45 AM

A Girl Named Sue: A Child's Journey from Complex Trauma to Hope, Healing & Recovery

Scarbrough 5

Many children who experience complex trauma struggle emotionally, physically, and behaviorally. In this session, participants will follow one child's journey to hope, healing and recovery. Participants will learn 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!