Attachment & Trauma Network, Inc.
TOUCHING TRAUMA AT ITS HEART
Empowering Trauma-Informed Families, Schools, and Communities
Support • Education • Advocacy
The Attachment & Trauma Network, a 2016 Angel in Adoption® Recipient “Trauma-Informed “Trailblazer” has been the VOICE for traumatized children and their families since 1995. Through our mission of Support – Education – Advocacy, we seek to improve the lives of children impacted by early childhood trauma, abuse and neglect, and prenatal exposures in their families, schools and communities. We believe that trauma-informed, attachment-focused therapy and teaching parents therapeutic parenting strategies are significant factors in helping our children overcome their early traumas and build resiliency and healthy relationships. We believe that trauma-informed schools are the best educational environment for all children, but especially the significant population of children impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Who is ATN?
What is healthy attachment?
Understanding Attachment Trauma
Attachment can be defined as a reciprocal relationship. In parenting (or child development) it generally refers to the relationship that develops first between the infant/child and his primary caregiver (often Mother). The quality of this attachment impacts the child’s physical, emotional, psychological and cognitive development. The quality of this primary relationship shapes the child’s basic ability to trust and how positively or negatively he views the world, himself and others. The quality of this first attachment impacts all other relationships.
Early Childhood Trauma
Trauma is defined as an “event outside normal human experience”. These events are generally emotionally painful and distressing, and overwhelm a person’s ability to cope, leaving him/her powerless. Feeling powerless is an important concept when trying to understand trauma – especially as you apply it to trauma in children. Many think of trauma as the result of a specific “event.” But, early childhood trauma is just as likely (more so actually) to fall into the realm of chronic traumatic stress, especially in situations where children are exposed to repeated neglect, abuse and maltreatment.
What is an early childhood trauma?
What are treatment options?
Treatment options
The most important component in helping a traumatized child to heal is a strong, therapeutic parent (primary caregiver). You can learn more about becoming a Therapeutic Parenting.
The second most important component is trauma-sensitive, attachment-focused therapy. ATN actively encourages ALL families to work with therapists who specialize in attachment & trauma.
ATN Resources
Parenting
Therapeutic Parenting - Empowering Trauma-Informed Parents to be Therapeutic.
Trauma-Sensitive Schools
Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools- Empowering Trauma-Focused Educators and Schools
TSS Conference
Annual Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools Conference.
Get Involved
Join ATN - Together we can end the silence around childhood trauma!
Resource Directory
Coming soon an online directory of trauma-informed professionals.
Shop ATN
Join ATN. Shop for resources, swag and tools to help us empower and support children families schools and communities.
Recent Posts
Activities for the Social Distancing Era
Blog manager’s note: Welcome to the third installment of our Coping with Coronavirus series! This comes to us from long-time ATN Angel Jane Samuel, who shares some activities we can do with and for our kids…and ourselves. I said to my husband the other day, “Life is too much to grasp now. The reality of this
COVID-19: Embrace the Gift
Blog manager’s note: Before you get all up in arms wondering what kind of gift the novel coronavirus could possibly be, read on. This is the second of what will be a series of posts by ATN‘s wonderful staff and volunteers concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. We plan to present a variety of perspectives with the goal of
Making a Difference in a Time of Dis-Ease
The rise of dis-ease Over the last weeks, we have awakened daily to the rising of dis-ease. The blurry edge between fact and fabrication has brought us to question our questions. It has activated the sort of fear that causes toilet paper to be prized ahead of reason and parity. It has let us feel
What others are saying about ATN:
Why our work matters:
Child Abuse : 1 out of every 50 babies in US are maltreated.