Trauma Informed? Dispelling the Jargon and How You Can Make a Difference by Terri Mitchell

My name is Terri Mitchell. I have been in education for many years! During that time, I have had roles as a class teacher and Early Years Lead before taking on a quality improvement role within Bristol as a Lead Teacher. My role allows me to work with amazing early years teachers, practitioners, leaders, childminders and multi agencies, providing a platform to understand, support, share and celebrate the great practice that exists in Bristol early years.

I have always had an interest in developing and supporting children’s personal, social and emotional development and even ran my own toddler yoga class for a time! In 2020 I embarked on a diploma through ‘Trauma Informed Schools’ and this blew my mind, it literarily changed how I view the world. Since then I have been on a mission to spread the word and share this knowledge that I have been given. My most recent role as a local specialist lead (LSL) alongside my lead teacher role both provide me the platform to start on my hugely wild ambition of making everyone in Bristol trauma and attachment aware.

Trauma Informed? Dispelling the Jargon and How You Can Make a Difference by Terri Mitchell

In Bristol and beyond, many of us will hear phrases such as ‘Belonging Strategies, Attachment Pledges, Trauma Informed, and ACES’. But what do these things all mean, and how can we understand them and put this knowledge into practice to make meaningful differences to the children and families that we work with? This post will start to unravel and dispel the jargon, but it’s also going to ask you to reflect on your mindset.

I need to ask you to consider a shift in your thinking. I want you to consider viewing behaviours that you might be finding challenging and view them as distressed behaviours. I know this is difficult; it sounds tiny, but it’s actually quite a revolution. Our society, parenting models, justice system, naughty steps, and sticker charts tell us to focus on the behaviours and to reward and punish compliance or non-compliance.

I’m asking you to dig a bit deeper, be curious, and be brave because when we start on this journey, it may take us to uncomfortable places in our reflections. I know I ask a lot of you, but this reflection is really necessary because YOU are the most important person. YOU are what can make a difference to the life outcomes of the children that you are working with.

No pressure!

Developmental trauma in a nutshell

Early Years is a critical time for brain development, it is when the majority of the pathways are created and the potential for who we are and our life outcomes are laid down.  These pathways are not made of stone, there is flexibility and movement to create and change, there is always hope. 

Some of our children have not had the best start in life; they may have experienced physical, sexual, or verbal abuse, neglect, parental mental illness, a parent in jail, domestic violence or parents splitting up.  They may have experienced poverty, food insecurity, the death of multiple people close to them, bullying or peer rejection.  These adverse childhood experiences (ACES) literally change the developing brain of our children. 

Children’s stress systems are flooded with chemicals meant to be used in short bursts to keep us alive and ready to fight, flight, and freeze. This dripping tap of constant toxic stress has a biological, social, and emotional impact. It changes the brain and children’s responses to how they feel about themselves, their role within their families, relationships, adults, and their place in the world

Why does attachment matter?

Babies need adults to care for them, they arrive defenseless with a set of code that cries out for parents and carers to respond, cuddle, relax, play and talk with them (Five to Thrive).  If they get these experiences enough of the time, then children will develop the pathways for future life.  These children will have the foundations when they arrive in our schools and settings and their responses and behavior will make sense to us.  They will be resilient, bounce back and use the adults around them for help.

Some children will have had different first experiences in their short lives, and they will have found different ways in order to survive and get their needs met.  These strategies might not make sense to us, and we will have to be curious and empathetic in order to dig deeper than what the surface-level behavior is showing us

What we may notice from some of our children.

Self-regulation is taught; it is not something children are born with.  All children need adults to co-regulate when their big emotions burst out, but children and adults who have experienced trauma may need extra support.  Some of our self-regulation skills are cognitive (thinking), which are sometimes referred to as ‘executive function skills’ – the brain’s air traffic control system.  These skills allow us to have flexible attention, working memory and stop us doing things that we know we shouldn’t do.  These skills allow us to be able to manage attention, thoughts and behaviour.  Another of our self-regulation skills is managing emotions.  If our emotional buttons are pressed, this affects our ability to use our cognitive self-regulation skills which affects children’s ability to listen, focus, learn and do the right thing. (EEF)

So what?! Knowledge is power. 

In understanding the physical differences that may be present in our children’s brains caused by trauma and attachment experiences adds weight to my request to change your thinking. If faced with a child presenting a behavior that challenges you, I want you to wonder, ‘what happened to you, rather than what’s wrong with you’ (Perry 2014).  This subtle shift moves us into responding to the child from a place of empathy rather than what’s right or wrong and the use of punitive sanctions.

You know that the brain can be changed, it has plasticity and you can play a role in supporting the development of new pathways by being an attuned adult; being attentive with body language, being interested, giving time, actively listening, receiving information and acknowledging it by nodding, making eye contact, showing that you’ve noticed and smiling. Having fun together and laughing.

The impact of having a relationship led, therapeutic response in all that you do.

You can put connection at the heart of practice for your children and families. You can be an emotionally available adult.  Being that person who is there for a child, always being their champion.  Providing secure and caring attachments and unconditional positive regard, regardless of what distressed behaviours are thrown at you.  If we can be this person to a child, we can be the change to a child’s emotional system.  Tipping the scales from being in rage, fear and grief, to playing, seeking and caring (Pankseep, 2012).  This balance allows the child to develop self-esteem and to develop systems that will continue to regulate their stress response system and have the capacity to build relationships.  Life-changing impacts.

Put your oxygen mask on first!

As you are the most important person, you need to make sure that you are ok.  You will never be able to be an emotionally available adult with the ability to calm a child’s storm if you are yourself in a storm. This starts with well-being; what fills up your cup?  Is it a chat with a friend or family member? Is it going out for a walk/run/dance/spa session? Put these things in place. You are not being selfish. You are a very important person.

At work, do you feel able to check in with colleagues when you arrive, and are you getting regular supervision. Make sure you are speaking to your leaders.

Conclusion

I hope that this blog has dispelled some of the myths and added some understanding to phrases that you are hearing within the workplace.  

You have such power within your roles.  You have the ability to impact on a child’s life outcomes. 

Here are some key points that I want you to remember.

  • View challenging behaviour as a child being in distress.
  • Children will ask for love in the most unloving ways.
  • Your superpower is being an emotionally available adult.

There is no quick fix, a child who has experienced trauma will never be truly healed, but you can be the person who makes them feel safe and that they matter.  What an amazing privilege to do the work that we do!

If you would like to reflect further on your practice and continue your trauma and attachment aware journey, Eight to Relate is a useful tool to help you to audit, celebrate and action plan.

Other Links and References

EEF Evidence Store,   Self-regulation strategies | EEF

Five to Thrive, Five to Thrive – An attachment-based approach to positive parenting

PSED and WELLBEING – Bristol Early Years

Department for Education (2024) Early years foundation stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers

Adverse Childhood Experiences, NHS Scotland, https://youtu.be/VMpIi-4CZK0

Bristol City Council (2021) Relationships and Belonging; Behaviour regulation guidance for Bristol, developing an attachment aware approach to inclusion

Bristol City Council (2021) Bristol Belonging Strategy for Children and Young People 

Panksepp, J and Biven, L (2012) The Archaeology of Mind; Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotion.

Perry, B.D. (2014) The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics in Young Children.

Principles of Attunement, Connectedmoments.co.uk

Sunderland, M and Harmieson, J (2019) Practitioner Training; Trauma and Mental Health Informed Schools and Communities. London: Trauma Informed Schools UK

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma Zeedyk, S (2013) Sabre Tooth Tigers & Teddy Bears: The connected baby guide to attachment, Connected Baby ltd.

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