18 Social Connections
Being connected and having positive supports is really important however it is often a really difficult thing for a young person who has experienced trauma to do . A young person ’ s ability to establish trusting and safe relationships is really difficult when they have experiences of trauma , particularly trauma that involved other people such as sexual or physical abuse . Being patient and making efforts to build rapport and trust is crucial to the success of any intervention with a young person .
Encourage them to think broadly , not only about supports from friends or family but also people that can support them with practical things , who can help them get things done or someone who will just spend time with them without feeling like they have to talk .
Sometimes young people will find re-connecting with social networks or re-discovering enjoyable activities difficult , and often there will be a period where engaging with these things will still feel like ‘ pulling teeth ’. However , it is important to encourage young people to persist – fake it until they make it .
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