Developmental trauma significantly impacts children’s capacity to regulate their bodies, emotions and attention, often making learning a particular challenge for traumatized youth. This workshop will focus on exploring the foundational role that somatic regulation plays in building the cognitive and relational capacities needed to nurture learning and growth within school and home settings. Participants will be introduced to the Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART) model, an innovative therapeutic approach developed to expand the repertoire of regulating experiences for youth and their caregivers. Within this context, we will review specific neurobiological processes affected by Developmental Trauma (DT) and build skills to accurately assess a child’s regulatory capacity in the moment to elicit more effective adult responses. Participants will learn how to identify and utilize somatic and relational tools within the school setting to support their students’ ability to take in support when needed (co-regulation) and develop self-regulatory capacities over time. Furthermore, we will explore how engaging in movement and attunement on an embodied level can widen a child’s capacity for relational engagement and allow for the emergence of more organized and flexible cognitive responses that facilitate learning. This workshop will utilize a multimodal approach to teach concepts including didactic lecture, video example utilizing clinical film, and experiential exercises to reinforce understanding of content on both an embodied and cognitive level.
- Teacher: Heather Finn