Tools to Build Resilience in Children and Families

Explore our trauma and resilience resources: 

• • • ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) Trauma Trainings
    • Assessment Tool for Needs Assessment for Organizations
    • Childhood Trauma and Resilience: A Practical Guide
    • Handouts and brochures [coming soon!]
    • Psychoeducational materials for guiding professionals and caregivers to promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships
    • Publications [coming soon!]
    • Webinars and presentations

ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Trauma Trainings

We train child health and child-serving professionals to recognize, screen, and respond to child trauma and disrupted caregiving. Disrupted caregiving happens when caregivers have trouble meeting children’s needs because of issues like postpartum depression, substance use, or being overwhelmed with social risks. Read about our training programs:

Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment and Resilience (PATTeR) curriculum
PATTeR is a two-part national educational program that teaches pediatricians and pediatric health care professionals how to identify, care for, and manage childhood trauma and improve outcomes of millions of traumatized children. PATTeR was developed by Lifeline for Kids in in collaboration with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) training
We offer TF-CBT training to mental health agencies and clinicians treating children and younger adults impacted by trauma. Our TF-CBT trainings involve online coursework, 2 days of basic training, and peer-to-peer support and consultation from national TF-CBT experts.

Trauma-informed care training
Our trauma-informed care trainings help child-serving professionals develop and strengthen their ability to recognize, screen for, and adequately respond to child trauma. We train professionals who work in law enforcement, the judicial system, schools, child welfare, and more.

Assessment Tool for Needs Assessment for Organizations

We provide needs assessment and organization assessments for agencies and organizations. To learn more about how we can provide individualized support for your organization, email us at LifelineforKids@umassmed.edu.

Childhood Trauma and Resilience: A Practical Guide

    In their book Childhood Trauma and Resilience: A Practical Guide, co-authors and Lifeline for Kids leaders Heather C. Forkey, MD, FAAP, and Jessica L. Griffin, PsyD, along with co-author Moira Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP, have written the first textbook for child health professionals about delivering trauma-informed care.

This resource provides guidance on trauma-informed care and the protective power of resilience. The co-authors detail the ways that ACEs, toxic stress, and trauma can negatively impact brain development and how that harm can be mitigated through healthy, positive relationships with caregivers and community support.

Pediatricians Drs. Forkey and Szilagyi and psychologist Dr. Griffin build a compelling case for primary care pediatricians, family doctors, and other professionals who care for children to transform their practices into ones designed to be responsive to trauma and actively promote resilience.

Psychoeducational materials for professionals and caregivers

Our Pair-A-Docs videos offer practical tips for parents and caregivers to build resilience in their children. These short videos help them better understand what’s happening in the brain during stressful and traumatic events and how to cope with stressful situations that occur when caring for children.

Webinars and Presentations

Tune in to some of our latest content:

Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment and Resilience (PATTeR) Trauma and Resilience ECHO [American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)]