Tools for the Hope-Givers! - Sue Badeau

Jared is a good student and does well in school, but is suspended often because he keeps getting into fist fights during lunch time. Kaley refuses to change her clothes for gym class even though it means she will get a failing grade. Emily runs around flailing her arms and screeching whenever her parents take her to church. Tim sneaks food into his bedroom and lies about it when caught. Each of these children has experienced trauma.

When children are abused, neglected or experience the trauma of domestic violence, community violence, bullying, school shootings, natural disasters or the loss of a parent, the pain, grief and loss impacts their development, relationships, behaviors and ability to learn. Parents, caregivers, community volunteers and professionals need information, resources and most especially tools that will help them to provide safety, healing and hope for these precious children.

I traverse the country many times each year providing workshops to parents, caregivers, social workers, educators, judges, lawyers and church leaders about the impact of trauma on children and how they can serve as bridges of hope for these youngsters. In my trainings, we begin by reviewing the science which helps us to understand the very real changes that occur in the brain, body and spirit when trauma occurs.

After grounding in the science we consider the role of individual differences, personality, family history and community supports in building resilience in children and youth. Using simple but powerful experiential activities, participants in these workshops have profound “aha” moments that move the conversation beyond the clinical or theoretical to the trenches of real-life practicality.

I believe that the information and tools that I share, when applied with compassion and consistency, can be life-changing for both the adults and the children involved. Every time I speak, people ask me, “Do you have a book with all of this information?”

For years, my answer was, “Not yet.” This spring, I can begin to answer, “Yes, here it is!”

I am especially excited about providing this material in a coloring book format. This way, I was able to break the often complex material down into bite size pieces – one concept per page – on the left-hand pages of the book, reinforced by one unique image to color on the right-hand side. Parents, caregivers and adults in helping professions, are busy and have a myriad of responsibilities to attend to each day. Yet, they need the trauma-informed strategies when they least expect it, and so I believe that this book provides them with what they need in a manner that is digestible and accessible.

I wish I would have had this resource when I was raising my children and for this reason, I am so passionate about getting this out there and making it available to parents and caregivers who need this help.

The Amazon link to both Sue's ebook and paperback "Bridges of Hope" is:http://www.amazon.com/Building-Bridges-Hope-Chelsea-Badeau/dp/1622085930/ref=la_B00EHZ95CS_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464275915&sr=1-3

Drop by her Amazon Author Page to see all of her amazing titles: http://www.amazon.com/Sue-Badeau/e/B00EHZ95CS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1464275907&sr=1-2-ent

or stop by her Website and say Hello! http://www.suebadeau.com/