Unaddressed Trauma in Foster Children

Course overview

Children in foster care are more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences, which increases their risk of negative outcomes in childhood and into adulthood. Many of the adverse experiences are highly traumatic and ultimately result in foster care placement. Because trauma is known to result in increased stress, children unable to adapt to the stress will find it more challenging to recover from the traumatic experiences. Challenges of unaddressed trauma in childhood can range from behavioral outbursts to negative impacts in functioning at home and school. As adults, they may continue to experience the negative impact in their relationships and struggle with mental and physical illness. This course explores unaddressed trauma often seen in children in foster care settings and will look at the effects of this unaddressed trauma on children and adolescents. This course will also explore the best treatment approaches to address symptoms related to trauma in youth.