Business as Usual…Except more Sorrow and Resolve
For nearly 30 years ATN has been in the trenches with children significantly impacted by early childhood trauma…now understood as developmental trauma, attachment trauma, relationship trauma. Our roots are working with children who struggled due to very early abuse, neglect, maltreatment – including abandonment, witnessing violence and horrific mistreatment. But the truth is, many children […]
Thanks for a GREAT TSS2022ATN
The 5th Annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference was a fantastic example of being flexible and relational on so many levels. This year’s conference was an asynchronous hybrid, meaning that some attendees joined us in-person in Houston for our pre-conference sessions and the Sunday- Tuesday portion of the conference. Then even more took part in our […]
UPDATE: ATN Board of Directors approves Pandmic Response for In-Person Conference
Updated Pandemic Policy for ATN’s In-Person CTSS Conference This week, ATN’s Board of Directors set the policy for #TSS2022ATN. All In-Person Conference activities will follow this policy. More information will follow regarding uploading of vaccination information. Download Policy Text HERE ATN’s Pandemic Response for In-Person Conference Attendance – Updated December 8, 2021 The Attachment and […]
Calm Kits in the Community Project
Attendees at the 5th Annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference have the opportunity to give to other educators and classrooms in the Houston area AND create a calm kit for themselves at our “Calm Kits in the Community” Project on Sunday, February 20, 2022. The project is free to all attending the in-person conference. Participants will […]
“Guilty”: An Ending or a Beginning?
What I was going to write Tuesday afternoon, I had a whole thing I was going to write about childhood trauma in Miracle Creek by Angie Kim. At some point, I probably will go ahead and write that post. But just before I sat down with notebook and pen (yes, I am that weirdo who […]
What ‘Resilient’ Means to Me
Is Larissa resilient? (And does she have ADHD?) Larissa has a writing assignment–2-3 pages–due by the end of today. She understands the topic and knows what she wants to say, so she opens her notebook, picks up her pen, and I can’t work without music. Larissa picks up her phone, checks her DMs, then scrolls […]
A Different Normal
What do I mean, “different normal”? A few years back, I went to a retreat for moms with kids who had experienced trauma and had issues as a result. Two moments really stood out from my first such retreat. The first one happened while we were all getting to know each other. We were laughing […]
Of Hats and Children and This Coming August
So many hats… The teacher hat Like so many of you, I wear a number of “hats” every day. Since March, I’ve worn the teacher hat often. This isn’t foreign to me—I spent ten years in early childhood education—but being Teacher-Mom is a whole new classroom! Two of my students have autism. For them, communication […]
Child Abuse, Coronavirus, and Mental Health
Mental Health Awareness Month Every May, advocacy organizations such as Mental Health America come together to raise awareness around needs related to mental health. These needs have increased during the coronavirus pandemic. Now that we have entered the month of June, we should reflect on the lessons learned during Mental Health Awareness Month so we […]
Rehoming: Who’s to Blame?
The story By now you may have read the headlines such as “YouTuber Myka Stauffer Reveals Adoption Dissolution 2 Years After Welcoming Son Home from China.” You may have even viewed the original adoptive parents’ tearful YouTube video about the “rehoming” of their son, Huxley. This video and the story it tells create big feelings […]