Trauma-Informed Strategies for Frontline Staff in Intensive Services
Do you understand how to use connection to increase a child’s coping capacity and ability?
Do you worry about what to say or do when a child makes an unexpected disclosure?
This course will equip staff in Intensive Services (live-in and day treatment) with skills to support children facing trauma and attachment issues. Key topics include managing disclosures, de-escalating hyperarousal, and using emotional presence to build trust. Case examples from client situations will be used to identify step-by-step interventions. This training is open to child and youth care practitioners and any other intensive care staff.
Intensive Services (Live-in and Day Treatment) provide a critical environment for children with trauma histories, attachment disruptions, and developmental crises. Often unable to articulate their emotions, these children “show” rather than “explain” their fears, worries, questions and needs. Trained staff are continually responding and guiding children to increase their communication skills and emotional regulation. For many children, the day treatment classroom or live-in environment is the first safe, predictable, and consistent experience in which they can access experienced, skilled, and caring professionals trained to meet their unique needs.
These needs are numerous and include advancing skills, knowledge, and abilities, both academically and socially. Staff may receive unexpected disclosures of past or current harm, be exposed to concerning, if not graphic, descriptions of dangerous circumstances or situations, and be sought out for guidance and comfort overall. The complex needs of children with these experiences require staff to be emotionally available and constantly prepared to deal with a range of responses, emotions and behaviours. All of this comes in addition to the many responsibilities of their professional roles.
Topics include (but are not limited to):
- Hearing and addressing unexpected disclosures (dos and don’ts)
- De-escalating heightened hyperarousal
- Using emotional presence to connect and redirect as well as connect and correct
- Using connection to increase a child’s coping capacity and ability
- Staff suggestions for debriefing intense encounters with children and families
- Discussion regarding redirecting tensions and intensity of this work
The material used in this training is supported by neuroscience research, attachment theory, developmental theory, mindfulness research, and trauma research. The trainers welcome case examples from staff experience. References and resources will be provided.
Date: October 30, 2024
Time: 9am – 3:30pm EST
Cost: $149.99 plus non-refundable Eventbrite charge
Groups of 10+ receive a 15% discount. (Choose “group” ticket in Eventbrite.)
****Session recording will be available to participants for three months after training.****
Trainers
Geraldine Crisci, M.S.W. is a mental health professional with 40 years experience in the field of trauma. She is a private practitioner who provides assessment and treatment to children, youth and their families. She is also a professional trainer providing educational programs to mental health, protective services, law enforcement, medical and other helping professions. Geraldine developed and teaches the 6 day Trauma Assessment and Treatment Program for Safeguards which has reached 3,500 professionals in the past 20 years.
Geraldine has developed protocols for the assessment and treatment of trauma, sexualized behaviour problems and sibling sexual abuse. Geraldine also developed reunification protocol for families separated for protection reasons, including sibling sexual abuse. She has provided support to agencies and families towards successful adoption of children from the protection system. She has worked extensively with live-in treatment programs for children and youth for the past 20 years. She specializes in addressing the impact of trauma on the behaviour of children and youth. To this end she develops clinical programs to provide children, youth and their families with corrective and effective therapeutic intervention.
Geraldine is a member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC); ATSA; CPRO. She co-authored Paper Dolls and Paper Airplanes: Therapeutic Exercises for Sexually Traumatized Children, which is currently in its 20th year of printing.
Kristin Gionfriddo, MSW, RSW, is a social worker who works for the George Hull Centre Institute of Childhood Trauma & Attachment as well as the George Hull Centre Community Clinic. Kristin has also been a part-time professor at Humber College in the post graduate addictions and mental health program since 2017. Kristin is completing her DDP practicum and integrates her DDP skills with her DBT and TF-CBT training.
Frequently Asked Questions
The link will be emailed to you automatically when you register.
Registrations may be transferred to another participant without penalty upon request. Email institutetraining@georgehull.on.ca for more information.
Groups of 10+ people receive 15% off and groups of 20+ people receive 20% off full rate. Limited spots available. Email institutetraining@georgehull.on.ca for more information.
Yes. At the payment stage when purchasing your tickets, you can select “pay by invoice.”
If paying by invoice, your total can be found on the order confirmation under order summary. Payment is due immediately upon receipt.
Please make cheques payable to:
The George Hull Centre for Children & Families
81 The East Mall
Suite 300
Etobicoke, ON M8Z 5W3
More Questions? Please email us at institutetraining@georgehull.on.ca.