“Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love.”

- Dr. Bruce Perry

Research has shown that fostering supportive relationships is key in helping children develop resilience in the face of their trauma. Often it is a particular teacher, or other trusted adult in a child’s life who shows special interest in what they are going through and conveys the genuine caring and love, that helps the child heal.

Through these supportive adult/child relationships, children may also be reminded that abuse, separation and loss are not their fault and there are other children like them who experience and feel some of the same things they do. I love the concept of the human family for this.

A relationship building exercise:

“I Am” - Help the child dentify 3 intrinsic qualities the child has i.e., they are a good friend, a loving daughter/son, are helpful to others.

“I Have” - Help the child Identify 3 people in the child’s life they can turn to when support is needed.

“I Can” - Help the child Identify 3 actions the child can take i.e., telling someone they trust about their trauma, a teacher, mother, father, or grandmother, even a close friend’s parent.