Open-ended discussions with children and teens can uncover traumatic causes of behavioral and emotional problems. "It's not necessarily asking, 'Would you like access to mental health services?'" explains La Toya Mobley, a pediatric clinical social worker at the Harriet Lane Clinic. Rather, it's posing questions like, "What is your experience at home?" to get at the heart of the matter.
"Trauma and ADHD mirror each other," Mobley says. "So we're asking more questions about trauma, especially with the increase in shootings and things like that." Apparent symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could actually stem from trauma. "Many times we find that a family member has been killed, or children don't have enough to eat or they're homeless," she says. "Maybe that's why they can't sit still in school versus truly having a diagnosis of hyperactivity."
Schools with trauma-informed staff members – from teachers to cafeteria workers – may serve as places of learning and healing.
In trauma-informed schools, every adult in the building who interacts with kids and families receives a basic level of training, says Laura McArthur, a clinical psychologist and executive director of Resilient Futures. More intensive training is geared to teachers and certain classrooms, making sure systems are in place to help struggling kids who are most impacted by trauma.
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