ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with what being traumatized means to a child or adolescent. In order to engage in a mentalization-based interaction with a child or adolescent who has experienced trauma, it is essential to have an understanding of what trauma does to the traumatized person's mind and how it affects the behavior of the traumatized person. In this chapter, the focus will initially be on the significance of trauma for children and adolescents, including how trauma is experienced and how they are expressed in children. Distinctions will be made between the various types of traumas – impersonal trauma, personal trauma, attachment trauma, and developmental trauma.
