AAP trauma-informed care initiatives

Stress and the Healing Power of Connection

Kids reach out to others when things get tough. This is called the affiliate response, which relies on our strengths, our brains, and each other. It’s the biology of connection. This new animated video from the AAP, narrated by Heather Forkey, MD, FAAP, explains how pediatricians can support families to engage in the affiliate response to help kids feel less stressed, build resilience and recover from trauma. Learn more at AAP.org/TIC

**Note** This video was created for pediatric health care providers, but is written and produced in a way that is applicable to broader audiences.

Stress & Anxiety Relief Through Healthy Relationships

Focusing on what’s right with a child or teenager’s mental health can go a long way to combatting stress and anxiety. By building strong, healthy relationships, parents and other caregivers can help make sure children and teens grow up resilient and minimize the effects of toxic stress. In this video by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Heather Forkey describes the idea of relational health and how it can combat toxic stress – things like trauma, child abuse, or even the long-term effects of racism.

**Note** This video is geared toward a parent/caregiver audience – explaining relational health for parents, and giving tips on how to support it.