Perspectives on helping traumatized infants, young children, and their families

Traumatized infants, toddlers, and young children can affect adults in different ways but most often pull extreme reactions ranging from empathy to anger. It is important for those who support, intervene, and provide therapeutic services for traumatized young children and their families to understand that various traumatization, compassion, fatigue, and burnout can be an integral part of the work. All interveners, including child welfare workers, clinicians, home visitors, teachers, and even nontraditional responders, such as those who supervise therapeutic visitation, must find their own ways to cope with the overwhelming feelings that may be aroused. Support or regularly scheduled reflective supervision as well as self-care is crucial for those who work with trauma. This paper describes helpful ways to intervene and provide support for infant mental health therapists and others working with traumatized young children who may experience vicarious traumatization.