"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Young Children"
Presenter: Gail Arnold M.Psych LMHC Preschool Team Coordinator Clinical Director, Parent Child Trauma Recovery Program Outpatient Mental Health Department at MassGeneral for Children at NorthShore Medical Center - National Trainer in Child Parent Psychotherapy
Early childhood trauma usually refers to the traumatic experiences that occur to children in their first 6 years of life (National Child Traumatic Stress Network: www.nctsn.org). As infant and young children may not be able to clearly verbalize their reactions to scary, threatening and dangerous events or as they may react differently from older children, many people assume that young age protects children from the impact of traumatic experiences. It may also be, in part, a wish that they are protected and hence not impacted! The more we work with young children who have been exposed to traumatic events, it has become increasingly evident that young children can be significantly affected, even though they may not understand what exactly has happened.
In recognition of this, there is now a subtype in the new DSM-5 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder for children 6 years and younger. In the Family Rounds, we will look at some of the behavioral markers for a PTSD diagnosis for a child under 6 years and then, through a case presentation, illustrate how a young child used art in therapy in the process of attempting to make sense of his traumatic experiences.
Lectures are free but registration is necessary. To register, call 978-354-2670 or email ithomson@partners.org Please bring lunch and come join us.
Stay in touch with us through the NSMC Facebook page and NSMC Twitter feed!
No comments:
Post a Comment