Developing Skills and Strategies
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There are some common areas that young people who have experienced trauma struggle
with and that may create some difficulties in their life. These include decision-making,
managing emotions, helpful thinking and social connections. By helping them improve on
these often-basic skills they may not have learnt, they may see some real difference in
their lives.
The first thing to do in each area is to help the young person understand a bit about how
their experience of trauma has impacted on the problem they are having. For instance,
if the young person was struggling to problem-solve you could say
You know that many young people who have had experienced trauma often have lots of
problems to deal with and that can make them feel pretty overwhelmed. Trauma can
really impact on how you may manage the problem and see some solutions. There are
things I could help you with that might come in handy when something comes up.
Decision Making
Is it familiar that the young person you care for struggles to tackle challenges or solve
problems that they come across? The effects of trauma i.e. changes in attention and
concentration skills, difficulties with organising, and a lack of time and space to work
through things, can all impact on the young person’s ability to make decisions, particularly
when they are triggered. A lot of the time this m eans they choose the first, instinctual
option. This is often one that has been unhelpful but heavily reinforced as effective i.e.
substance use.
Here are some simple ways you can help a young person build on their decision-making
skills:
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