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Many children experience trauma and do not receive any psychological support. Lack of support may lead to behaviour changes, nightmares, anxiety, grief and low mood. Children may also not adequately develop many important life skills due to being in a traumatic situation. This could lead to complex mental health issues growing up, which could affect their day-to-day lives.
CHN, ACT’s PHN, commissioned Marymead CatholicCare to provide Stepping Stones, a free, therapeutic service for children aged 12 and under who have experienced trauma. Trauma may include a single incident or repeated traumatic incidents such as abuse, neglect or witnessing family violence. Through a trauma informed multidisciplinary team approach, this program supports children and their families to recover from the impacts of adverse childhood experiences (trauma) with a particular focus on the child’s mental health, wellbeing and development.
Over the last year, 94 clients received support, with 100% achieving one or more of their identified goals by discharge and with 84% experiencing a reduction in symptoms.
Client story
Krishna* (not his real name) was referred to Stepping Stones by a family member. Krishna’s family member shared concerns for the young person as he had experienced various traumatic life events at such a young age, including parental drug use, a history of maternal mental health challenges, and exposure to Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) perpetrated toward his mother by her now ex-partner. Krishna’s presenting concerns included emotional dysregulation, aggressive behaviours in home and school settings, anxiety (hypervigilance, sensitivity to sound), sense of low self-worth, negative and rigid thinking patterns, and sensory sensitivities. Krishna’s school attendance was limited to 3 hours per day, and he was suspended from school regularly due to violent outbursts toward other students or teachers.
Krishna and his mother attended sessions with a Psychologist to engage in a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) treatment model designed to help children and families manage emotional and psychological difficulties. This involved a combination of individual child and joint parent-child sessions, focused on building Krishna and his mother’s understanding of emotions and learn skills for working with the thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviours associated with strong emotions.
Krishna’s mother engaged in individual sessions with the Stepping Stones Family Worker focused on helping Krishna to recognise, respond to and manage his emotions. The work also engaged with his mother around her own mental health, depression and suicidal ideation.
Krishna’s school attendance increased substantially, with Krishna attending full school days on most days of the week. Krishna’s teachers reflected that he had effectively used the cognitive flexibility skills at school, and emotion coaching strategies, with positive outcomes.
