There was a little boy I worked with years ago. He was five years old, and I’ll call him Marcus. Marcus was living with his foster family for almost two years while his mom was working on her sobriety. Although it had been a rough start for him in his

Science Races to Measure Trauma Inside the Body: A Look at the Risks/Benefits At the end of 2025, I learned about a new blood test designed to detect inflammation patterns that may signal trauma exposure in children and adults, and I was immediately intrigued. It began with reading about a

Welcome to the January 2026 Childhood Trauma Newsletter I’ve had a slow start to 2026, and I took some time to nurture myself before the spring gets busy, which is why I’m late posting this edition of the newsletter. As we move through the end of this month, I want

My daughter started public elementary school this fall, and… it’s been a ride. While most of the changes are positive, as a child trauma specialist, I can’t unsee how little time she has to play during the school day. Play deprivation is a problem in American schools, and I’m not

I was recently chatting with a client who needed help coping with the often intense emotions of her toddler when she said, “I started sneaking out just to go to the grocery store because she gets so upset when I leave.” It dawned on me that I’ve heard some version

Last week, I watched the documentary AKA Charlie Sheen on Netflix, and one story he told kept me up that night. It was a single moment early in his life that seemed to reverberate across everything that followed. Over and over, we watch him take his life almost too far.

Here’s a truth many people don’t realize before they become parents or work with children: Unaddressed trauma gets passed from person to person, like a virus, and if we aren’t paying attention, we can unintentionally spread our trauma to the children we love and care for. Oof, I may have

It started with a shoe. It had Velcro instead of laces. Little kid size 10. And it zoomed past my head after a visit between a child and his mother in an under-resourced supervised visitation room. He was almost 4 years old with curly hair. His words were few. But

Content Note: This newsletter includes reflections on birth trauma from my personal experience. If this feels too close to home today, or you think it might upset you, feel free to skip it or come back when you’re ready. June is PTSD Awareness Month, and there’s one form of trauma

Summer break is about a month away, and while this is a happy time for most, children living in trauma and adversity often feel extra stressed this time of year. I mean, Moms don’t call it “Maycember” for nothing. We are also stressed, which kids will pick up on. The