ABSTRACT
As a result of their sensitized biological alarm systems, traumatized children (as well as their directly or indirectly traumatized caregivers; see Chapter 4 by Cohen in this volume) often have difficulty identifying and reacting to stressors. They may overreact to perceived threats when, objectively speaking, a threat is minor or even nonexistent. Conversely, they may “shut down” in the face of an actual threat. They may feel chronically aroused, or they may have difficulty identifying how they are feeling. When faced with uncomfortable affect states, they may lack the internal resources to change how they are feeling. As a result, older children and adolescents may begin relying on the assistance of alcohol, drugs, or other potentially harmful means to modulate their feelings. Therefore, prevention and treatment interventions for posttraumatic dysregulation should, in a developmentally appropriate manner, guide both the child and caregiver(s) in learning and becoming familiar and skillful in using self-regulation skills. They should also provide the child and the caregivers with a framework within which to understand symptoms and problems as having developed as a trajectory in which self-protection has overshadowed healthy development – and therefore as a path that, if changed gradually by learning and using self-regulation skills, can be shifted back toward the original developmental trajectory of personal growth. Thus, skills and perspectives acquired in psychoeducation or psychotherapy for traumatized children and caregivers are a way of reclaiming the child’s strengths and capacities rather than repairing deficits.
