Clinical Work with Traumatized Young Children

“This edited text focuses on interventions for children under the age of five, an age group that is often lost in other contributions on victims of trauma. The book has other strengths, namely the overview of therapeutic approaches, its practice relevance and evidence-base, and the application of these approaches and research findings across different settings and circumstances....I particularly liked the empathic side of many chapters in considering the impact of interventions on different agencies and staff involved such as mental health professionals and judges. Supervisors and a range of practitioners will find the final chapter on the 'vicarious traumatisation' (or compassion fatigue) of staff extremely valuable; and so will researchers in the field.”

—Child and Adolescent Mental Health


“The vulnerability of young children's emotions is movingly documented on these pages, as are avenues of hope. Leading experts in the field profile the most promising approaches to promoting recovery and healing in traumatized young children. As they do so, we learn about the importance of relational support, understanding developmental needs, multigenerational influences, and the importance of social systems coming together around the needs of young children. A valuable resource for clinicians, early childhood practitioners, teachers and students, and anyone concerned with the early years.”

—Ross A. Thompson, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis


“Children make meaning of themselves and the world using their bodies, brains, physiology, minds, and actions. This book, from passionate researchers and clinicians, makes it painfully clear how trauma distorts all of children’s meaning-making processes. The contributors recognize how trauma intrudes into children's everyday, moment-by-moment experiences—but they also demonstrate ways to help children create new, resilient meanings for themselves. The book is more than state of the art; it will be constitutive of a new understanding of trauma.”

—Ed Tronick, PhD, University Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts-Boston


“Osofsky has engineered an accessible and valuable resource for professionals across the disciplines that collaborate to deliver the best possible outcomes for children and families impacted by isolated or continual trauma. This book provides important perspectives for any contemporary practitioner.”

—Constance Cohen, Juvenile Court Judge, Des Moines, Iowa


“Timely and invaluable....A collection of chapters that, when read as a whole, redefine the landscape of what is needed to intervene effectively in transforming the impact of trauma and, when read individually, convey extraordinary devotion, insight, and know-how in creating the conditions to alleviate suffering and instill hope.”

—from the Foreword by Alicia F. Lieberman, PhD, Irving B. Harris Endowed Chair in Infant Mental Health and Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco