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Strengthening Trauma-Informed Practices in Early Intervention
67 Plays18 days ago
What does it truly mean to be trauma-informed in early intervention? In this episode, Lisa Terry is joined by Christine Inscoe to explore how a shift in the mindset—not adding more to our workload—can transform our approach to support children and families. Together, they unpack the impact of early experiences, recognize stress responses, and share practical, relationship-based strategies that help families feel safe, seen, and supported. Whether you are new to trauma-informed care or looking to deepen your practice, this conversation offers real-world examples and actionable insights you can use right away.
Resources:
VEIPD site: https://veipd.vcu.edu/
Trauma-Informed Care Checklist and Action Plan
Checklist of Early Childhood Practices that Support Social Emotional Development and Trauma-Informed Care
This reflective checklist supports early interventionists in applying trauma-informed practices that promote social-emotional development. It emphasizes safety, regulation, caregiver partnership, and understanding behavior through a trauma- and development-informed lens.
Action Plan: Strengthening Trauma-Informed Practice in Early Intervention
This companion action plan helps early interventionists translate reflection into intentional action. Designed to be used alongside the trauma-informed checklist, it supports goal-setting, collaboration, and ongoing reflection to strengthen everyday practice.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Meaningful Moments Podcast
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome back to Meaningful Moments. My name is Lisa Terry and I am glad you're here today. This podcast is a collaborative effort from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. And that is through a contract with a partnership for people with disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University.
00:00:29
Speaker
Today's episode is going to focus on really strengthening trauma informed care practices and early intervention. so we're going to talk about what they mean, why they matter, and how we can embed them into our everyday work with children and families.
Lisa Terry's Role and Experience
00:00:45
Speaker
So again, my name is Lisa Terry. I am the host today.
00:00:49
Speaker
i am also an early intervention professional development consultant at Virginia Commonwealth University a Partnership for People with Disabilities. I'm also endorsed as an infant mental health mentor and research and faculty, and I still provide developmental services in
Introduction of Guest Christine Insko
00:01:04
Speaker
the home. I am joined today by my special guest, Christine Insko, and we developed a short course on trauma-informed care. And so we're really happy to kind of like bring this to the podcast and talk about this very important topic like today. Christine, tell us a little bit more about you.
00:01:21
Speaker
Thank you, Lisa. I'm very excited. This is such a passion of mine. um So I'm Christine Insko. I have been a service coordinator with Rappahannock, Rappadan Infant and Toddler Connection for about eight years.
00:01:34
Speaker
ah Previously worked with at-risk youth and families for over 10 years through counseling and residential setting. um I've been part of a local trauma-informed community network for a few years. And then, you know, just being very passionate about understanding trauma and supporting trauma-informed care in our communities, in our local ITCs. So thank you for doing this with me.
00:01:58
Speaker
I'm so excited to have you here. I'm so excited that we're doing this because I really do think that this is such an important
Understanding Trauma-Informed Care
00:02:03
Speaker
topic. So today what we're going to really explore what trauma-informed care really means in practice, right? We're going to talk about the impact of those early experiences on development. We'll identify some of those signs of stress in both children and and adults because we also work with the caregivers, right? And we're going to share practical relationship-based strategies that you can use right away. So when we think about trauma-informed care, like what comes to mind for you? Like, how do you typically explain that? because I feel like it's such a it's such a common thing that we talk about or we hear about, but I don't think that people always understand what does that truly mean. So how do you explain that?
00:02:44
Speaker
Right. So, you know, trauma informed care is it's a shift in perspective. It's not like a checklist. It's not a set of tasks that we have to complete. It's a complete mindset change.
00:02:57
Speaker
um And that mindset kind of shapes how we approach others and their experiences. So first, we need to understand how trauma impacts the body, especially as the nervous system. And with that understanding, you know, um we're better able to connect with our families and to be present in meaningful ways. So this shift in perspective, it just it it really changes our lens. So it influences how we show up.
00:03:25
Speaker
right how we respond to behaviors, how we look at people's lived experiences. So to me, i think that kind of just encompasses it. But you use it not just in our setting, but across all settings, which is the best part.
00:03:39
Speaker
Yeah, and I think that's so important because it's just a mindset, right? It's a perspective that we have. And so, you know, when we think about it, trauma-informed care, it's not something extra that we're adding to our work, work right?
Aligning Support with Family Priorities
00:03:54
Speaker
It's just how we're approaching what we're already doing. So what do you think it means then when we say that we are meeting families where they are?
00:04:04
Speaker
ah it's so important to do this. You know, I think... Meeting families where they are, it just means learning like what's important to that family. you know We always ask, what are your priorities? What are your concerns? But actually listening to what those priorities and concerns are and then validating that and using that um so you adjust your supports to align with those priorities. So like an example would be like if you have a family at an assessment and the parent becomes teary. You might change how you're presenting the delays or how you're going over that assessment with the parent. um you know Maybe their child's medically complex. So you acknowledge this is hard. you know This is hard stuff. And connect them with parents that are going through that same thing because I wouldn't be able to relate to that. But I do know someone else that is. you know So meeting families where they are is just so important.
00:05:01
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. And, you know, I think it's just so important to just humanize the experience, right? Like these families, each family is on their own unique individual journey. And what we're doing is just saying, hey, like we're all human, but we're here with you you, right? We're here with you. We're going to meet you where you are every single step of the way.
00:05:21
Speaker
um So in kind of like thinking about trauma-informed care, I think it's really important.
Prevalence of Trauma in Children
00:05:27
Speaker
Let's talk stats, right? Because understanding trauma, it's going to start with understanding how common this really is, but also how early it can begin. So what are some of the stats right now? Oh, my gosh. So it is so important to understand that. um So one in four children will experience trauma by age four.
00:05:49
Speaker
right? More than 20% of babies will have at least one traumatic experience. So another one is seven, one in seven children in the U.S. will experience abuse or neglect annually.
00:06:04
Speaker
One in seven. Over two thirds of children report experiencing at least one traumatic event by age 16. um So the ACE study was completed in the late nineteen ninety s and it states that one in eight adults have four or more ACEs, one in eight. The CDC just updated that and it's now one in six.
00:06:29
Speaker
Wow. So to put this in perspective, you know, i was looking at these numbers and i was looking, i have a caseload of about 40 kids, right? So I'm putting these numbers into my caseload. And if you look at it, it means 10 of these children are going to have an experience of trauma by age four.
00:06:48
Speaker
out of these 40 children, 10 of them. um Eight of them have already had experienced one traumatic experience, experienced one traumatic event. um And then I looked at like the family. So if you put about 70 people, right, about 40 children, plus about 30 parents, 11 or 12 of them will have four more ACEs.
00:07:13
Speaker
I mean, how impactful is that? It's just so eye-opening to me that it's so common and it starts so young now. Yeah, I mean, these numbers are just astonishing, right? And it just reminds us that trauma is not rare.
00:07:30
Speaker
Every single one of the families at some point that we're working with are going to have experienced trauma or that child's going to have experienced trauma. So that means that it's really important that we're all really encompassing this mindset of trauma-informed care, right? and And having that shift in our perspectives. So when we think about all of these families that we're supporting, we know how to approach those situations, right? And we know how to navigate that a little bit more.
Identifying Trauma in Children
00:08:02
Speaker
So let's talk about um some of the symptoms that we might see. What are some symptoms that we would see in children?
00:08:09
Speaker
So in children, you might notice that their behaviors kind of change. So some of them might be a little bit more clingy than others. um They might be withdrawn or start showing aggressive behaviors, self-harming behaviors to children that, you know, bang their heads.
00:08:27
Speaker
um big emotions over any little thing. But, you know, one of the hard things that we have to do as providers and service coordinators is, is this a typical two-year-old toddler tantrum? Or is this more than what we would typically see? um You might also see delays in communication, delays in social, emotional, delays in play skills. There's even delays in physical growth.
00:08:55
Speaker
is occurring with these experiences. um Maybe difficulty with transitioning or difficulty with their regular routines. And definitely a lot of times you see a heightened sensitivity to sensory input.
00:09:10
Speaker
That's definitely one of the big hightail signs. Yeah. And I think, you know, it's so hard sometimes, like, because when I think about this, I'm like, oh, this is a lot of the kids that we see. Right. But I think it's important to say that even though they might be showing some of these signs, it might not be related to trauma, but it could potentially be related to trauma. Right. I know um I had a child that um had a lot of characteristics of autism, but they were adopted and they had a really traumatic, you know, beginning early on. And so,
00:09:47
Speaker
It was easy to say, because he had a lot of feeding issues, it was easy to say, oh, that's related to those characteristics of autism, right? Much later he was diagnosed, but a lot of people might just attribute that to autism, right? Because sometimes they could be very picky eaters, they can have a lot of sensory and needs.
00:10:06
Speaker
But when we started to explore and dig in a little bit more, what we found out was that actually he was very deprived of um any kind of feedings and having formula in his bottles when he would go visit his mother for the first nine months of his life.
00:10:27
Speaker
which is very traumatic. And then we started to see those feeding concerns come up where he would just overstuff his mouth all the time, right? and He just wanted it. He had he could would get really upset every time he saw his food, he couldn't have it right away. And so we were able to work around that and really help him to feel safe and secure and overcome those issues. But it wasn't necessarily tied to the autism. It was more from trauma. So it's really important sometimes because we are working with children that have some delays or you know disabilities that we are digging a little bit deeper just to make sure that we're rolling out that that isn't triggered by a trauma experience.
Impact of Trauma on Adults
00:11:11
Speaker
right
00:11:12
Speaker
And so i think also when we think about this, it's really important to also understand what we could see and adults and caregivers and colleagues, because we're working with a vast majority of adults around us as well. It's not just children that we're working with.
00:11:30
Speaker
So when we think about some of the signs and symptoms in adults, we think about increased stress or anxiety, maybe a lot more irritability that they're having. They could have difficulty engaging or following through. They could be feeling really overwhelmed or shut down. Like I know for me, like one of my stress responses is to automatically shut down, right? When I feel that way. um But they could also have challenges with trust or communication. So it might take you a little bit longer to build that rapport with that family if that is you know one of the things that they're feeling. And a lot of these symptoms can be triggered by stress. So it's really important that we're recognizing and understanding the impact of stress on every one. And I cannot even stress that enough. Stress responses, they're adaptive. It's the body's way of saying, hey, I don't feel safe right now. Right. And when we recognize them with empathy, with curiosity, we can often co-regulate. We can offer safety. we can help the nervous system settle down. what What are some other things that we can look for when we're providing services? What are some things that you kind of have seen
00:12:49
Speaker
Right, I mean, and if you if you think about it, think of like our families just coming to our program, that's stress, right? So if you already have this overworked sensory system or overworked you know nervous system, and it's like, you're already hitting them with that one.
00:13:05
Speaker
So then remembering that, but then especially like medically complex or children with behaviors. So if you see you know a parent that's usually pretty consistent and all sudden they're canceling appointments left and right.
00:13:18
Speaker
or um you get the short answer of your checking in. You're like, how's everything going? oh Everything's good. Short answers, you know, really quick. We're fine. Everything's fine. um Or if you're, you know, you could be on a visit like so I was doing an assessment and this mom was really, really short with her child. It was it was kind of like, oh, like, you know, we're a little worried about it. And towards the end, i said, OK, like, what's going on? Are you OK? She's like, nope, I think my marriage is over.
00:13:50
Speaker
And i was like, when did this happen? She's like, three hours ago. I'm like, well, that explains what's been going on then. You know, it's like, well, mom's really stressed out. she is She's got a lot. So, okay. and So what do we do? How do we support you with this? You know, because we know if we buffer that stress, right? If we support the parent and we buffer that stress, it's not going to go down to the child.
00:14:14
Speaker
Yeah. It's so important to understand and to dig a little bit, like you keep saying, we need to be there. Yeah. We have to be curious. It's funny because I have a similar like situation too. Like I had a family and they're heavily impacted by a lot of different environmental factors, right? um They, it's just food insecurity. It's housing insecurity, a lot of financial It's also related to the parents recently split too. and But before this all happened, the child was thriving, right? We saw a lot of his behaviors decrease. His mother was doing really well. like we were considering discharging. Like his mom, she was like, oh I don't know if we need this anymore, right? Like that's how far, you know, we got with them. But then when I walked into the home at one of my more recent visits, you could just
00:15:08
Speaker
feel and see the stress right on mom's face. the child was having a lot of tantrums. And you know we just kind of had to like take a step back, dig in a little bit deeper, right? We had to be curious. And we had a really good conversation around just the impacts and the root of all of it. The mother, she was really stressed and it was just having this ripple effect on the child because he could feel the stress, right? And so because he could feel it, then his behaviors would start to show up. And then what would happen once he had more behaviors and she would feel more over
00:15:41
Speaker
you know, overly stressed. And then she just had a lot shorter, like temper with him too. Like she was very reactive in those situations, but that's an example of that bi-directional impact. Right. And so we ended up just focusing on finding the joy in that parent child relationship during our session, because she was stressed. He was stressed. There just was no smiling going on. Right. And so um by the end of it,
00:16:10
Speaker
you know, like when he was like upset and he was having a tantrum, I was like, just give him a hug, right? Just hug him. And so she did, she hugged him and he like melted into her and even like her face, you could see like the smile that started to, you know, show her body, like started to relax instead of being like as tense as it was. And, you know,
00:16:33
Speaker
What really happened in that moment was then a whole different shift of that bi-directional impact, right? Because then you could see that love kind of shift over into him and vice versa. And so that dynamic started to change by the end of the session. And it was just, it was so huge and it was so important. But if we just went in with this goal, if I went in with this goal that hey I'm just going to work on his language today, i'm just going to work on these, you know, this play or these routines and these transitions with him. And you ignored everything that poor mom's dealing with. Ignored every single thing, not even recognizing how she was feeling. That wouldn't have happened, right? That shift wouldn't have happened. And so it's really important to be curious. Do you have any other thoughts about that?
Role of Adults in Emotional Regulation
00:17:26
Speaker
I mean, you know, one of the biggest things that I try to to put out there and to for my family is understanding children cannot regulate. Right. They cannot regulate.
00:17:38
Speaker
So when they're like, oh, they need to self-soothe. Oh, they need to do this. And it's like, well, wait, let me explain how this works. A child needs you. thinking That's it. End of day. Right. And as a parent, we're not always smooth sailing. Right. We have money and of stuff going on or that baby's crying. But so many parents say to me, I didn't know that.
00:18:00
Speaker
And I'm like, so if you have anxiety, if you have depression, if you are anxious, you know, whatever, and your heart's going, that baby's heart is going to be going. But if that baby's crying and you're able to calm, that baby can calm. And parents are like, I had no idea.
00:18:16
Speaker
I had one mom's like, I called my sister and told her I had no idea. And i'm like, what? You think they'd give us this information, you know? Yeah. Because it's all about that connection, right? you know mean like When your body is stressed, I mean, even as an adult, right? When we're stressed, we are we can't access that prefrontal cortex. We can't access our executive functioning and our logic goes completely out the window. We're just not thinking anymore and we're just more reactive, but that's what the body does. It's not you know anything
00:18:49
Speaker
that anybody's doing wrong. Like that's something that is just naturally happening happening to us and naturally occurring. And so we have to take that pause, right? As adults, like we have to learn to take the pause and co-regulate with the child to help them because you're right. Because if you think about a child Sometimes I think we have very high expectations for children. like Children, they are just reacting based off of how they feel, their are emotions. right and Logic doesn't really start to come in until three. But if you think about us as adults, we have had many, many, many years of practice right trying to regulate our emotions. and Sometimes we still fail. Like, let's be honest, like it's, it's not always easy, right? We still can lose our patients.
00:19:32
Speaker
And so if we've had all of those opportunities, many years of practice. And then we have this two-year-old who's had not as many years of experience and we're expecting them to regulate theirs themselves, not going to happen. Right? So I love that you have those conversations about co-regulation because it is, it's really, really, really important.
00:19:54
Speaker
Well, and that's trauma informed care, right?
Creating Safe and Supportive Spaces
00:19:57
Speaker
Providing information. Yeah. yeah and that's know That's exactly what I was going to say next to like, what does trauma informed care practice like look like right in our day to day work? Yeah. So it is. It's providing that knowledge.
00:20:11
Speaker
um But it's, you know, it's so important that the number one thing is to create a safe space, you know, be a safe person and create a safe space. um And that's leading with curiosity, always lead with curiosity, not judgment, which is so easy to do to go in and be judgy, right? We're trained now to judge everything.
00:20:33
Speaker
That's what we're being trained to do. So to lead with curiosity instead of judgment. listen to learn, not respond. And this is a tough one because someone's like telling you a story or telling you about themselves and you're like, okay, I can fix this. Oh, I can do, okay, let me tell them how to do this. And then it's like, shh, it's okay.
00:20:51
Speaker
Just listen and be there. um explaining the process for services. Like our process is so overwhelming in the beginning. and You know, what does a visit even look like? Are you coming to my home? How long are you staying there? What are you doing? That's so overwhelming. We're in their space.
00:21:09
Speaker
um You know, if you say you're going to do something, do it. Be on time. Be the one that they can trust. You know, be the one that there's no surprises. They know what's coming.
00:21:21
Speaker
And then partnering with families, don't direct them, we coach, right? So offering choices and restoring that sense of control. Then, you know, the other aspects are respecting cultural identities and lived experiences and understanding that a family's values might not be the same as yours.
00:21:40
Speaker
um biggie is celebrating the wins right that builds empower that family empower that child you know look at how great we've come you've come so far but then you get to the goals and they're like but we're really not there and it's like whoa let's talk about where we came from um and always always being that calm that regulated you know check yourself at the door before you go in and especially when that house like you were mentioning is dysregulated. If you went in, there was like, oh, flustery, you would added to that seed. Right. So being regulated yourself. And so that means you have to know your body and know what it feels like.
00:22:22
Speaker
Yeah. And, you know, you said a couple of things that I wanted to touch on um a little bit more about, too. I think Confidence. Confidence is so huge. And that empowerment piece, so many of the children that I see that were impacted by trauma, we are sitting there and we're trying to get them to and you know work on their goals and achieve you know what the next steps are in their development. But they might leave an activity because it's too hard for them. They might avoid language demands because it's really intimidating for them. And a lot of it has to do with their confidence, right? Because they don't feel safe. They don't feel secure. We have to work on empowering them, building their confidence, So that way they're like, yes, I got it right. Like starting with something easy. Don't place hard demands on children as soon as you get in there because it's too much sometimes. Right. We have to empower them first where they're like, yes, I have it. I have another little child. And
00:23:26
Speaker
It will take him like he has to get used to something, has to be like at least a month, right? Before he's used to something and then he's like, oh I have it. But as soon as he has it, boy, he will go at it and he will just keep doing the same thing over and over again because he's like, oh, this, I know how to do this now. Like it feels really good to me. But then if we introduce anything else that's harder for him, telling you it's going to take at least another solid four weeks for him. And that's just kind of how it's been over the past few months. But that empowerment piece is really huge. And also, i think that judgment piece
00:24:01
Speaker
right Because it is so hard sometimes when we are in the homes and you might hear something or you might see something, right? We all have our own biases.
00:24:13
Speaker
But what I would say and what I would encourage everyone is to check your facial reactions and your facial responses. Like what message is your facial expression conveying? Because sometimes we're not aware of that. Like look in the mirror and look at your different facial expressions that you have.
00:24:30
Speaker
So that way you are aware of it when you're in the home, because what you don't want is to unintentionally show some kind of facial expression that ruptures that relationship, because then it's just going to take you longer to repair that relationship, right? Because then you have to really acknowledge that you ruptured it too. So definitely also check your nonverbal cues that you're giving off when any of your own judgments or biases might come up, right?
00:24:59
Speaker
Right. And you know what you were sorry what you were saying about that child and taking those four weeks, that's meeting that family where they are. Yeah.
00:25:10
Speaker
Yes. yeah Like how how amazing is that to do that? And that's trauma informed care. Exactly. Well, and that's what I was going to ask you next. Like, do you have any examples of what this looks like and like how you naturally implement those trauma informed care practices?
00:25:27
Speaker
You know, it's one of those things like we do it all the time. You know, I look at my coworkers and they're just so kind with these families and they're so caring with these families. And it's like,
00:25:40
Speaker
that's trauma-informed care, you know? It's just, we just don't realize it and we also don't realize how important it is and how impactful it is. But, you know, asking a parent, how are you doing? Not how are your sessions? And yes, we'll get to all of that, but like, how are you personally doing? Like, Being a parent of a child under the age of three is the loneliest time in the world. Right. You don't go anywhere because your kids, your house is safe. so You're not going to take yeah out as often as you know. So it's just such a lonely time. So asking them, you know, do you have support? Do you have friends and family? Is your husband supportive or your wife supportive? um
00:26:23
Speaker
What can I do to support you? you know How can I help you? Is it connecting with others? Is it finding that library time so your kid can go rampant and you're out in public still? Is it just listening?
00:26:36
Speaker
um Sometimes, you know just like you said, slowing down that visit because that child's not, you know he's gonna be overwhelmed and knowing that we need to slow this down. Or you go to a visit and the kid missed their nap. You're not going to do a lot of big things that day. It's like, okay, we change it up and meet you where you are and adjust that approach. Or like you did with the family that's stressed out, you know, you change it up. So we implement trauma-informed care all the time and we just don't realize it. But just showing up and being that steady is so important.
00:27:15
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's such a valid point because it is something that I think so many early interventionists are already doing right and they just don't realize it or recognize like that's what it is because it's how we're entering a home, right? How we're showing up, how like even as simple as our greeting sometimes because that's a routine that we have like that's a transitional routine when we're entering the home, but a greeting can be so huge. Because we're doing the same thing every time and the child is starting to recognize it, understand it, helps them feel safe as you're entering the home, right?
00:27:51
Speaker
Our tone of voice, how we're speaking to a family, what we're saying, we're showing warmth, we're showing, you know, concern, empathy, and how we respond when things don't go planned, like that earlier example that I had, right? Because I made sure that I was co-regulating with a parent because I could see the shift. I could see the need was there and the change. And so I made sure to remain calm and that my tone was warm, but also showed that I genuinely cared, right? Like I am truly invested in your family and I'm here with you. You are not alone, right? And I think you're right because that connection piece is so important.
00:28:28
Speaker
I think families want to feel connected. Children want to feel connected. Those relationships are just the foundation of all that we do. Right. Yeah, i have um I have a provider and nine out of 10 families that she works with always tell me, um you know, my child just connects with her so easily.
00:28:51
Speaker
And when the minute she shows up, they go and greet her and bring her to the floor because they know she's going to play with them. But she has this automatic calm presence and the family just feels so good because they know the child's happy with this, you know, where I don't have that automatic calm presence. Like that for me takes the work Right? But I'm aware that. But you recognize it. I'm aware that.
00:29:17
Speaker
But, you know, so just knowing, and, you know, when you mentioned the face, like, oh my gosh, I could never play poker, but, you know, 20 years of working on this.
00:29:28
Speaker
But it's just so important. But for her, it's just, that's her natural way. And these kids respond, and these families respond so well to them. So just keep saying that, you know?
00:29:41
Speaker
Yeah, I had a training um recently and we were talking, we were doing a case study debriefing and and it we were talking about, you know, like when like a child has a tantrum all of a sudden, right? And just the shift changes and it can be really hard as a ah early interventionist. It can be hard for you because like it can kind of trigger your own responses, right? In those moments, but also for like the parent and the family and like, what do you do in those moments sometimes? And so you, it's like, you have to try to figure out how can I regulate myself while I'm in the home, not before. because you can't do it before because you're already there and then it's happening. Right. And so how do we regulate ourselves in those moments? You know? And so we talked about even like having a shift in the, in where you are. So maybe it's, you know, let's switch rooms. Like let's go outside. Let's do something like that. Or like one of the things that I'll do if I need a minute to calm myself down um is I'll say, okay, I'm just going to take, you know, a few minutes and I'm just going to observe. Right.
00:30:45
Speaker
And so that way it gives me that time to kind of reflect, to gather my thoughts, calm down before I'm responding. Right. But I'm still doing some important work because I'm observing parent child relationship in those moments, that interaction and what that looks like. Right. But it gives me that time to kind of help calm myself, bring myself back together and then you know start again. Yeah, that's just so important to be able to do. You know, the other thing that I find parents seem to really
00:31:19
Speaker
be grateful for or understand is when you have those conversations, you know, i was the best parent ever. I was a nanny. I had a degree in psychology. You know, I worked in daycare. It's like I was the best parent ever. And then I had kids. It was like, oh, guess what? So having those conversations with parents like, yeah. So I remember, you know, having that tantrum in the grocery store.
00:31:45
Speaker
and feeling that buildup of like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. And everyone's looking at you. And so, you know, tearing that down a little bit to saying like, what is your panic?
00:31:57
Speaker
It's what people are looking at you, right? Like that's typically the thing. So having those conversations with other parents and being like, we all go through that. And it's the judgment, it's feeling judged.
00:32:08
Speaker
And as a parent, you have to step back and say, okay, this is my moment as a parent. This isn't their moment. This isn't their child. This is my moment. But giving that, empowering them to say that and to do that and to understand that we all go through it, right? yeah So it's just like, it's so, it's the little things, but it's just so big, you know, it's so impactful, but it's just those little moments. Yeah.
00:32:35
Speaker
Yeah. And it's it's just, it's hard. I think, you know, as a parent, it's hard. And I think we just need to recognize that. And the way that we can help support them is by really reflecting on our own practices and our own approach when we are supporting families.
Introduction of New Checklist for Early Interventionists
00:32:53
Speaker
So I'm really excited to announce if you haven't seen it yet, there is a trauma-informed checklist um that was ah adopted from the pyramid model because they had a really great one, but it was really more related to teachers in the classroom. and so This specific one is really strictly for early interventionists to take a look um and reflect on your own practices and see where are your strengths, where are these areas of growth. so I'm going to add that into the resources, so make sure that you definitely
00:33:33
Speaker
Check it out. I think it's a really good tool to use just for reflection, right? It's not like a right or wrong kind of thing. It's just to help us reflect. And it does have a companion action plan where if you want to set goals for yourself, you can also do that. It might be something great to utilize in supervision, something to have those conversations with your supervisor about as well. So definitely check it out.
00:33:58
Speaker
So we are coming to the end. But before we close, What's the last message that you want to leave the listeners with today? So Nadine Burke Harris always closes her talks with take care of yourself because you can't pour from an empty cup, right? um And we work with some really challenging kids and families and we are always pouring, right? So making sure that you do take care of yourself. And I know we don't say self-care, um
00:34:35
Speaker
But it's compassion for ourselves and in making sure that your cup is filled so that you do have what you need for our families. Yeah, very important message because we can't take care of others without prioritizing ourselves first. Right. I guess I would say, you know, like as you think about this conversation that we've had today, just, you know, think about one small shift that you can make on your next visit. Right. Or that your next interaction with the family, you know, something that is going to prioritize that connection, safety or your responsiveness to them.
00:35:15
Speaker
Yeah. All right. Meeting where are, right? Meeting them where they are. Yeah, let's end with that. Well, thank you, everyone. That is all for today's episode of Meaningful Moments. Thanks for listening. And huge, huge thank you to Christine for being here with us today. Be sure that you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Spotify. For more um information, you can visit the VEIPD website for resources, tools, archived webinars. I will make sure that I drop all of those resources um into the the comments and the notes. So make sure you access those.
00:35:53
Speaker
Thank you so much. Have a great day. Thanks for having me. Yes. Thank you for joining.