Trauma Interventions
More to come! Check back periodically for additional ideas.
Jeopardy
I have created various Jeopardy games for use with clients, either in person or virtually. You can play with or without teams, and can absolutely involve family members and other supports. This is great because not only does it teach and reinforce content, but it provides opportunities to practice skills AND work on listening, turn taking, frustration tolerance, and more. (Always make sure to screen the questions before using with a client.)
Body Sensations Jeopardy
Zones of Regulation Jeopardy
Trauma Therapy Jeopardy
Helping The Traumatized Child
by George Sachs
This book is amazing for use with the TF-CBT modality. I cannot say enough positive things about this book. Totally worth the money.
CBT Toolbox for Children and Adolescents by Lisa Phifer, Amanda Crowder, Tracy Elsenraat and Robert Hull
This book includes worksheets for a variety of different diagnoses and challenges that kiddos may face. I find myself even using some of the pages that are "intended" for other diagnoses because they fit well into the trauma lens, as well.
Coping Skills for Kids Workbook by Janine Halloran
This book, although not specific to trauma, has tons of coping skills ideas for kiddos. A great resource for any work with kids!
Sensory Item: Kinetic Sand
I love using Kinetic Sand with kiddos. This doesn't even need to be an "intentional" intervention -- it helps kiddos engage their senses and regulate themselves!
Sensory Item: Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets can be used with kiddos as a regulation tool. After asking for permission and explaining to the kiddo what you are going to do, you can gently lay the weighted blanket over their shoulders, legs, back, or tummy. Use this to talk about how grounding exercises can help you slow down and feel more secure, just like the weighted blanket puts gentle pressure on your body.
Calming Jars
Whatever you would like to call them is fine -- some kids named their jars "The Sea Jar" or "The Unicorn Jar" or "The Glitter Relax Jar." Check out this site for ideas. I like teaching kids to breathe deeply as they watch the glitter/objects fall.
Coping Skills Toolbox
I like using the coping skills toolbox to not only give the child something tangible to take with them that helps them to regulate, but to also assess how many skills they can recall. I often use this opportunity to say, "Oh wow! I'm so glad you thought about putting a reminder to deep breathe on one of your cards. Can you show me how that goes again?"
Happy Place
The happy place intervention can be a great way to engage kiddos in thinking about their different senses and what sensory input makes them feel happy and calm. What does their happy place smell like? Look like? Feel like? Taste like? Sound like? Have them draw, paint or sculpt elements of their happy place. Then practice! I often say, "Okay, when do you think you'll be able to use this at home?" or "How do you think this will help you when you're angry at school?"
Yoga
Yoga is great for helping kiddos get in touch with their bodies! I love using Cosmic Kids Yoga videos, but you can find almost anything on YouTube. Just be sure to watch it ahead of time! I am linking my therapy YouTube channel here. You will find yoga, emotion regulation, relaxation, cognitive coping, videos for parents and more! Just remember that kiddos who have experienced trauma may not be comfortable enough with you yet to close their eyes. Make sure you do not push this, especially if the goal of the session is just to give them more coping skills to use.
Deep Breathing Techniques
This is a staple for working with traumatized kiddos. Here are some options:
- Encourage kiddos to "smell the flower and then blow out the candle." You can tape a picture of a flower on one side of a popsicle stick and a picture of a candle on the other side as a visual.
- Teach kiddos to breathe in and "fill up their belly balloon" and then "let the air out of their balloon slowly."
- Model for kiddos how to "star breathe" as pictured above.
- Really any other shape, model, or reminder is fine! Just as long as you can teach kiddos to take those deep belly breaths.
Emotions Cards
I feel as though I have done hundreds of different interventions with emotions cards. Print off faces that correspond with different emotions (I suggest laminating them). Emotions charades is great with emotions cards! You can also have the kiddo identify people in their life (mom, foster dad, grandma, step-mom, teacher, kids at school, etc.) and write them on separate pieces of paper. To work on gradual exposure, consider writing the name of the person who abused/neglected/traumatized the kiddo (if applicable). Then have the kiddo place the emotion faces below the names. This is a good way to explain to kiddos that you can feel loved when you think about a person, but also feel scared sometimes when they do scary things. It is also a non-verbal way for kiddos to express tough emotions.
5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Exercise
The 5 4 3 2 1 grounding exercise works best, I've found, with slightly older kiddos. I would say ages 13 and up often do great, and ages 7 through 12 can manage pretty well. Younger kiddos may find it fun but will probably have a hard time doing it by themselves. (Great opportunity to involve caregivers in treatment, however!) It's pretty simple and honestly one of my favorites. Remind kiddos that they can do this at any time, anywhere. I often go through it a couple times with the kiddo in the room: "Okay, well I see a blue chair, I see the light carpet, I see a bright ball, I see your smiling face, I see my fingernails. Alright, now lets think of four things I can touch..." etc. It gives kiddos enough time to get out of their heads and become more present in the space.
Body Mapping
We feel emotions all over our body, but we often don't name what is happening in our body. For kiddos who have experienced trauma, their bodies are responding in ways they may not understand or cognitively recognize. That is why body mapping is great! NPR published an article that covered Dr. Nummenmaa's work with mapping where we feel emotions in our bodies and at what intensity. Helping kiddos identify that their tummies feel knotted up and their palms get sweaty when they're getting angry can help them catch it and use a coping skill before they escalate further. It also helps them get back in touch with their body sensations, which can be a useful skill in trauma reprocessing.
Responsibility Pie
Kiddos who experience trauma often have misplaced blame: they blame themselves for being sexually assaulted, they blame the police for taking their loved one away after the incident, they blame their sister for telling the teacher. Whatever the case may be, this exercise can help you evaluate what they believe about the trauma. Have the kiddo color in the pie according to "how much fault" everyone has (for example, maybe they color half of it purple, which stands for themselves, a fourth of it red for their parent, and a fourth of it green for the police). You can use this to provide psychoeducation about whose "fault" the incident really was, and can revisit it in subsequent sessions to see how the kiddo's thinking may have changed.
Blowing Worry Bubbles
Kiddos who have experienced trauma likely battle with worry and anxiety. This can manifest in many different ways, including irritability and anger. Consider this intervention even if your kiddo doesn't "present" as worried or anxious! With this intervention, you can talk about how when you vocalize your worry and picture it in the bubble, you can imagine it floating away from you and popping so it can't bug you anymore. I use this with kiddos who worry quite a bit but don't often vocalize them. I even "take turns" with the more hesitant littles. For example, "Okay, I'll start. I'm worried that I won't have anyone to play with on the playground." *blows a bubble, watches it pop.* Picture found here.
Sand Tray
Sand tray can be a great way to encourage kiddos' senses and give them a contained and malleable space to create and show you what they are thinking/ feeling/ worrying about/ etc. I would recommend having tons of figurines for the kiddos to pick from and include in their sand tray. You can be directive or non-directive with this! You can ask kiddos to focus on something specific, or just encourage them to create whatever they'd like. Your role is to observe what the kiddo is doing and where they are placing the figurines, as well as to observe any themes. You can ask questions like, "Tell me about what you have created?" "How were you feeling when you were making this?" "What would you like to change?" "What does (figurine) need in order to feel safe?"
Emotion Thermometer
Kids experience big feelings, but they don't always jump right from being calm to appearing out of control. An emotion thermometer can help kiddos see the steps, feelings and body sensations that occur in between the two. It can also be used to identify coping skills to use at each level!
Jeopardy
I have created various Jeopardy games for use with clients, either in person or virtually. You can play with or without teams, and can absolutely involve family members and other supports. This is great because not only does it teach and reinforce content, but it provides opportunities to practice skills AND work on listening, turn taking, frustration tolerance, and more. (Always make sure to screen the questions before using with a client.)
Body Sensations Jeopardy
Zones of Regulation Jeopardy
Trauma Therapy Jeopardy
Helping The Traumatized Child
by George Sachs
This book is amazing for use with the TF-CBT modality. I cannot say enough positive things about this book. Totally worth the money.
CBT Toolbox for Children and Adolescents by Lisa Phifer, Amanda Crowder, Tracy Elsenraat and Robert Hull
This book includes worksheets for a variety of different diagnoses and challenges that kiddos may face. I find myself even using some of the pages that are "intended" for other diagnoses because they fit well into the trauma lens, as well.
Coping Skills for Kids Workbook by Janine Halloran
This book, although not specific to trauma, has tons of coping skills ideas for kiddos. A great resource for any work with kids!
Sensory Item: Kinetic Sand
I love using Kinetic Sand with kiddos. This doesn't even need to be an "intentional" intervention -- it helps kiddos engage their senses and regulate themselves!
Sensory Item: Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets can be used with kiddos as a regulation tool. After asking for permission and explaining to the kiddo what you are going to do, you can gently lay the weighted blanket over their shoulders, legs, back, or tummy. Use this to talk about how grounding exercises can help you slow down and feel more secure, just like the weighted blanket puts gentle pressure on your body.
Calming Jars
Whatever you would like to call them is fine -- some kids named their jars "The Sea Jar" or "The Unicorn Jar" or "The Glitter Relax Jar." Check out this site for ideas. I like teaching kids to breathe deeply as they watch the glitter/objects fall.
Coping Skills Toolbox
I like using the coping skills toolbox to not only give the child something tangible to take with them that helps them to regulate, but to also assess how many skills they can recall. I often use this opportunity to say, "Oh wow! I'm so glad you thought about putting a reminder to deep breathe on one of your cards. Can you show me how that goes again?"
Happy Place
The happy place intervention can be a great way to engage kiddos in thinking about their different senses and what sensory input makes them feel happy and calm. What does their happy place smell like? Look like? Feel like? Taste like? Sound like? Have them draw, paint or sculpt elements of their happy place. Then practice! I often say, "Okay, when do you think you'll be able to use this at home?" or "How do you think this will help you when you're angry at school?"
Yoga
Yoga is great for helping kiddos get in touch with their bodies! I love using Cosmic Kids Yoga videos, but you can find almost anything on YouTube. Just be sure to watch it ahead of time! I am linking my therapy YouTube channel here. You will find yoga, emotion regulation, relaxation, cognitive coping, videos for parents and more! Just remember that kiddos who have experienced trauma may not be comfortable enough with you yet to close their eyes. Make sure you do not push this, especially if the goal of the session is just to give them more coping skills to use.
Deep Breathing Techniques
This is a staple for working with traumatized kiddos. Here are some options:
- Encourage kiddos to "smell the flower and then blow out the candle." You can tape a picture of a flower on one side of a popsicle stick and a picture of a candle on the other side as a visual.
- Teach kiddos to breathe in and "fill up their belly balloon" and then "let the air out of their balloon slowly."
- Model for kiddos how to "star breathe" as pictured above.
- Really any other shape, model, or reminder is fine! Just as long as you can teach kiddos to take those deep belly breaths.
Emotions Cards
I feel as though I have done hundreds of different interventions with emotions cards. Print off faces that correspond with different emotions (I suggest laminating them). Emotions charades is great with emotions cards! You can also have the kiddo identify people in their life (mom, foster dad, grandma, step-mom, teacher, kids at school, etc.) and write them on separate pieces of paper. To work on gradual exposure, consider writing the name of the person who abused/neglected/traumatized the kiddo (if applicable). Then have the kiddo place the emotion faces below the names. This is a good way to explain to kiddos that you can feel loved when you think about a person, but also feel scared sometimes when they do scary things. It is also a non-verbal way for kiddos to express tough emotions.
5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Exercise
The 5 4 3 2 1 grounding exercise works best, I've found, with slightly older kiddos. I would say ages 13 and up often do great, and ages 7 through 12 can manage pretty well. Younger kiddos may find it fun but will probably have a hard time doing it by themselves. (Great opportunity to involve caregivers in treatment, however!) It's pretty simple and honestly one of my favorites. Remind kiddos that they can do this at any time, anywhere. I often go through it a couple times with the kiddo in the room: "Okay, well I see a blue chair, I see the light carpet, I see a bright ball, I see your smiling face, I see my fingernails. Alright, now lets think of four things I can touch..." etc. It gives kiddos enough time to get out of their heads and become more present in the space.
Body Mapping
We feel emotions all over our body, but we often don't name what is happening in our body. For kiddos who have experienced trauma, their bodies are responding in ways they may not understand or cognitively recognize. That is why body mapping is great! NPR published an article that covered Dr. Nummenmaa's work with mapping where we feel emotions in our bodies and at what intensity. Helping kiddos identify that their tummies feel knotted up and their palms get sweaty when they're getting angry can help them catch it and use a coping skill before they escalate further. It also helps them get back in touch with their body sensations, which can be a useful skill in trauma reprocessing.
Responsibility Pie
Kiddos who experience trauma often have misplaced blame: they blame themselves for being sexually assaulted, they blame the police for taking their loved one away after the incident, they blame their sister for telling the teacher. Whatever the case may be, this exercise can help you evaluate what they believe about the trauma. Have the kiddo color in the pie according to "how much fault" everyone has (for example, maybe they color half of it purple, which stands for themselves, a fourth of it red for their parent, and a fourth of it green for the police). You can use this to provide psychoeducation about whose "fault" the incident really was, and can revisit it in subsequent sessions to see how the kiddo's thinking may have changed.
Blowing Worry Bubbles
Kiddos who have experienced trauma likely battle with worry and anxiety. This can manifest in many different ways, including irritability and anger. Consider this intervention even if your kiddo doesn't "present" as worried or anxious! With this intervention, you can talk about how when you vocalize your worry and picture it in the bubble, you can imagine it floating away from you and popping so it can't bug you anymore. I use this with kiddos who worry quite a bit but don't often vocalize them. I even "take turns" with the more hesitant littles. For example, "Okay, I'll start. I'm worried that I won't have anyone to play with on the playground." *blows a bubble, watches it pop.* Picture found here.
Sand Tray
Sand tray can be a great way to encourage kiddos' senses and give them a contained and malleable space to create and show you what they are thinking/ feeling/ worrying about/ etc. I would recommend having tons of figurines for the kiddos to pick from and include in their sand tray. You can be directive or non-directive with this! You can ask kiddos to focus on something specific, or just encourage them to create whatever they'd like. Your role is to observe what the kiddo is doing and where they are placing the figurines, as well as to observe any themes. You can ask questions like, "Tell me about what you have created?" "How were you feeling when you were making this?" "What would you like to change?" "What does (figurine) need in order to feel safe?"
Emotion Thermometer
Kids experience big feelings, but they don't always jump right from being calm to appearing out of control. An emotion thermometer can help kiddos see the steps, feelings and body sensations that occur in between the two. It can also be used to identify coping skills to use at each level!
Jeopardy
I have created various Jeopardy games for use with clients, either in person or virtually. You can play with or without teams, and can absolutely involve family members and other supports. This is great because not only does it teach and reinforce content, but it provides opportunities to practice skills AND work on listening, turn taking, frustration tolerance, and more. (Always make sure to screen the questions before using with a client.)
Body Sensations Jeopardy
Zones of Regulation Jeopardy
Trauma Therapy Jeopardy
Helping The Traumatized Child
by George Sachs
This book is amazing for use with the TF-CBT modality. I cannot say enough positive things about this book. Totally worth the money.
CBT Toolbox for Children and Adolescents by Lisa Phifer, Amanda Crowder, Tracy Elsenraat and Robert Hull
This book includes worksheets for a variety of different diagnoses and challenges that kiddos may face. I find myself even using some of the pages that are "intended" for other diagnoses because they fit well into the trauma lens, as well.
Coping Skills for Kids Workbook by Janine Halloran
This book, although not specific to trauma, has tons of coping skills ideas for kiddos. A great resource for any work with kids!
Sensory Item: Kinetic Sand
I love using Kinetic Sand with kiddos. This doesn't even need to be an "intentional" intervention -- it helps kiddos engage their senses and regulate themselves!
Sensory Item: Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets can be used with kiddos as a regulation tool. After asking for permission and explaining to the kiddo what you are going to do, you can gently lay the weighted blanket over their shoulders, legs, back, or tummy. Use this to talk about how grounding exercises can help you slow down and feel more secure, just like the weighted blanket puts gentle pressure on your body.
Calming Jars
Whatever you would like to call them is fine -- some kids named their jars "The Sea Jar" or "The Unicorn Jar" or "The Glitter Relax Jar." Check out this site for ideas. I like teaching kids to breathe deeply as they watch the glitter/objects fall.
Coping Skills Toolbox
I like using the coping skills toolbox to not only give the child something tangible to take with them that helps them to regulate, but to also assess how many skills they can recall. I often use this opportunity to say, "Oh wow! I'm so glad you thought about putting a reminder to deep breathe on one of your cards. Can you show me how that goes again?"
Happy Place
The happy place intervention can be a great way to engage kiddos in thinking about their different senses and what sensory input makes them feel happy and calm. What does their happy place smell like? Look like? Feel like? Taste like? Sound like? Have them draw, paint or sculpt elements of their happy place. Then practice! I often say, "Okay, when do you think you'll be able to use this at home?" or "How do you think this will help you when you're angry at school?"
Yoga
Yoga is great for helping kiddos get in touch with their bodies! I love using Cosmic Kids Yoga videos, but you can find almost anything on YouTube. Just be sure to watch it ahead of time! I am linking my therapy YouTube channel here. You will find yoga, emotion regulation, relaxation, cognitive coping, videos for parents and more! Just remember that kiddos who have experienced trauma may not be comfortable enough with you yet to close their eyes. Make sure you do not push this, especially if the goal of the session is just to give them more coping skills to use.
Deep Breathing Techniques
This is a staple for working with traumatized kiddos. Here are some options:
- Encourage kiddos to "smell the flower and then blow out the candle." You can tape a picture of a flower on one side of a popsicle stick and a picture of a candle on the other side as a visual.
- Teach kiddos to breathe in and "fill up their belly balloon" and then "let the air out of their balloon slowly."
- Model for kiddos how to "star breathe" as pictured above.
- Really any other shape, model, or reminder is fine! Just as long as you can teach kiddos to take those deep belly breaths.
Emotions Cards
I feel as though I have done hundreds of different interventions with emotions cards. Print off faces that correspond with different emotions (I suggest laminating them). Emotions charades is great with emotions cards! You can also have the kiddo identify people in their life (mom, foster dad, grandma, step-mom, teacher, kids at school, etc.) and write them on separate pieces of paper. To work on gradual exposure, consider writing the name of the person who abused/neglected/traumatized the kiddo (if applicable). Then have the kiddo place the emotion faces below the names. This is a good way to explain to kiddos that you can feel loved when you think about a person, but also feel scared sometimes when they do scary things. It is also a non-verbal way for kiddos to express tough emotions.
5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Exercise
The 5 4 3 2 1 grounding exercise works best, I've found, with slightly older kiddos. I would say ages 13 and up often do great, and ages 7 through 12 can manage pretty well. Younger kiddos may find it fun but will probably have a hard time doing it by themselves. (Great opportunity to involve caregivers in treatment, however!) It's pretty simple and honestly one of my favorites. Remind kiddos that they can do this at any time, anywhere. I often go through it a couple times with the kiddo in the room: "Okay, well I see a blue chair, I see the light carpet, I see a bright ball, I see your smiling face, I see my fingernails. Alright, now lets think of four things I can touch..." etc. It gives kiddos enough time to get out of their heads and become more present in the space.
Body Mapping
We feel emotions all over our body, but we often don't name what is happening in our body. For kiddos who have experienced trauma, their bodies are responding in ways they may not understand or cognitively recognize. That is why body mapping is great! NPR published an article that covered Dr. Nummenmaa's work with mapping where we feel emotions in our bodies and at what intensity. Helping kiddos identify that their tummies feel knotted up and their palms get sweaty when they're getting angry can help them catch it and use a coping skill before they escalate further. It also helps them get back in touch with their body sensations, which can be a useful skill in trauma reprocessing.
Responsibility Pie
Kiddos who experience trauma often have misplaced blame: they blame themselves for being sexually assaulted, they blame the police for taking their loved one away after the incident, they blame their sister for telling the teacher. Whatever the case may be, this exercise can help you evaluate what they believe about the trauma. Have the kiddo color in the pie according to "how much fault" everyone has (for example, maybe they color half of it purple, which stands for themselves, a fourth of it red for their parent, and a fourth of it green for the police). You can use this to provide psychoeducation about whose "fault" the incident really was, and can revisit it in subsequent sessions to see how the kiddo's thinking may have changed.
Blowing Worry Bubbles
Kiddos who have experienced trauma likely battle with worry and anxiety. This can manifest in many different ways, including irritability and anger. Consider this intervention even if your kiddo doesn't "present" as worried or anxious! With this intervention, you can talk about how when you vocalize your worry and picture it in the bubble, you can imagine it floating away from you and popping so it can't bug you anymore. I use this with kiddos who worry quite a bit but don't often vocalize them. I even "take turns" with the more hesitant littles. For example, "Okay, I'll start. I'm worried that I won't have anyone to play with on the playground." *blows a bubble, watches it pop.* Picture found here.
Sand Tray
Sand tray can be a great way to encourage kiddos' senses and give them a contained and malleable space to create and show you what they are thinking/ feeling/ worrying about/ etc. I would recommend having tons of figurines for the kiddos to pick from and include in their sand tray. You can be directive or non-directive with this! You can ask kiddos to focus on something specific, or just encourage them to create whatever they'd like. Your role is to observe what the kiddo is doing and where they are placing the figurines, as well as to observe any themes. You can ask questions like, "Tell me about what you have created?" "How were you feeling when you were making this?" "What would you like to change?" "What does (figurine) need in order to feel safe?"