Communication Tools for Working with Traumatized Children and Teens

A key resource for all those who work or have contact with children, full of clearly explained activities to help with communication, assessments and difficult conversations.

This collection of activities helps care professionals adopt a trauma-informed approach to communicating with children. Worked examples based on real cases illustrate how the activities can help children to build trust with safe adults around them and develop healthy ways to process traumatic experiences.

This expert guide provides 50 essential tools and activities to use in practice with children and young people who have experienced trauma.

From bubbles, balloons, and blocks to ghosts, monsters, and squiggles, this book offers a wealth of activities that help children to express their feelings and experiences while feeling safe and supported. Case studies demonstrate how each activity can be easily incorporated into daily interactions during social work practice, and clear explanations of the theory provide context for how they work.

Developed from decades of hands-on experience supporting children after trauma, this book demonstrates ways to sensitively discuss children's histories. This can lead into discussing the way their experiences influence their behaviour, and help them to form healthy attachments for the future.