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 […]

Calm Kits in the Community Project

Calm Kits

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 […]

ARPA provides $122B Funding…Now is the time to Trauma-Inform Your School

teachers explore trauma-informed options

Through the passage of three stimulus bills in 2020 and 2021, Congress provided over $190B in relief funding to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) – $122B coming through the latest act:  American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).  This funding passes through the state educational agencies with 90% of the money going to […]

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

pile of gray question marks with one lighted up in orangish yellow and another in blue

“You don’t know what you don’t know” In my parent group for those whose children think differently, a favorite phrase is “you don’t know what you don’t know.” This phrase has come to reassure me as I look back over the years. I carried guilt that I could never do enough and worried that I […]

“Guilty”: An Ending or a Beginning?

illustration of gavel coming down

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 […]

#TSS 2021–Thank You!

thank you written with calligraphy pen

Thank you for the conference… This Mom can’t say thank you enough for the Trauma Sensitive Schools Conference in February 2021. What a great experience to join with others who are passionate about finding answers, having hard conversations, and learning heavy things. There is nothing worse than traveling a tough, unexpected road silently and alone. […]

On Being an Anti-Racist White Mom

Young woman holding anti-racist sign

The Atlanta shootings It’s been a few weeks since the news broke about the shootings at 3 spas in the Atlanta area. Watching this unfold on my TV, sitting in my Atlanta suburban home, I was confounded. Now…so many days later…I still am. Was the shooter racist? Was this a hate crime? The news media […]

The Re-Set Process

It began at TSS In February 2021, I had the honor of moderating Dyane Carrere’s session, “A New Way to Respond to Challenging Behavior: The Re-Set Process” at ATN’s virtual Trauma-Sensitive Schools (TSS) conference. Carrere’s approach to and heart for children from hard places impressed me. So much so, in fact, that I ordered her […]

What ‘Resilient’ Means to Me

scrabble tiles spelling resilient on a purple background

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 […]

Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19

Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19 (book title in purple font)

A new book for trauma-sensitive educators Returning to school this year has been stressful for school leaders, educators, families, and students, whether they’re engaged in face-to-face, distance, or hybrid learning. My new e-book Supporting Students and Staff After COVID-19 is a resource designed especially for administrators, teachers, instructional coaches, and support staff. It provides *right now* […]