Attachment & Trauma Network, Inc.
ATN Certification Program
Trauma-Informed Certification – Level 1
It is crucial that those of us working with children truly understand the impact of early childhood adversities. This course and certification will equip you with knowledge and understanding to play a critical role in building resilience and healing in children and youth.
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ATN’s Level 1 Trauma-Informed Certification is for anyone and everyone working with or caring for children.
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Certify your entire school or organization! Group discounts are available. POs accepted.
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Who is this Certification for:
- Parents/caregivers
- Educators and Para-educators
- All school staff: bus drivers, lunchroom support, custodians and more
- Child welfare workers
- Adoptive/Foster professionals and parents
- Coaches, mentors, club leaders
- Mental health providers
- Non-profit and Faith-based children leaders
- Anyone in child-serving organizations
What Participants Have Said About this Certification
I would recommend this certification to anyone that wants to have better outcomes when working with children.
– Amy , Outreach Specialist, OH
Most trauma-informed trainings I have taken focus on adults. This course was so unlike any other courses I have taken. I feel staff in any area of our organization could benefit from this course.
– Danyel, Mental Health Asst Manager, IL
The curriculum is well-formulated and designed to give a solid foundation of information to recognize trauma, respond appropriately, and resist retraumatization. I highly recommend the program!
– Katie, Grief support, FL
The information about attachment is hugely important!
– Melody, Child Advocacy Center, WA
The self regulation and co regulation topic could be another course on its own!
– Christine, State PTA President
This is a thorough and thought provoking program, which delves into the depths of trauma and being trauma-informed.
– Aimee, legal assistant, PA
OUR IMPACT
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- 93% of participants are likely to recommend this certification to a peer
- 80% of participants feel better equipped to practice trauma-informed care based on this certification course.
- 93% believe this certification course was a good value for the time spent.
- 80 people currently certified.
What You Will Learn in this Certification Course
- Lesson 1a – What is Trauma?
- Definition of trauma
- Types of trauma
- Trauma vs. stress
- SAMHSA’s Three Es
- Risk factors for trauma
- Lesson 1b – What is Trauma-Informed Care?
- SAMHSA’s 4 Assumptions of Trauma-Informed Care
- The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study
- The limitations and evolution of the ACEs Study
- Lesson 1c – Where’s the Hope? (Exploring Resilience)
- Defining Resilience and how it’s developed
- What resilience is not
- Protective factors and Positive Childhood Experiences
- Defining Resilience and how it’s developed
- Lesson 2a – Brain Basics
- Key brain development concepts
- How trauma impacts brain development
- Sensory processing and how it is impacted by trauma
- The Brain-in-Hand model
- Lesson 2b – Behavior is Communication
- Where behaviors come from
- Top-down and Bottom-up behaviors
- The four stress/trauma reactions – fight, flight, freeze, fawn
- How learning and functioning are impacted by toxic stress
- Lesson 2c – Our Own Nervous System
- Responding vs. Reacting to behaviors
- Vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout
- moving through the stress cycle
- the importance of community wellness
- Lesson 3a- Attachment is the Antidote
- What is attachment?
- How does healthy attachment help?
- Exploring attachment disorders
- Building safe relationships with older children
- Lesson 3b – How Do We Learn to Regulate?
- Defining co-regulation and self-regulation
- The neuroscience of regulation
- Tools for regulation
- Lesson 3c – Resisting Retraumatization
- Shifting our view of behavior management
- Restorative and collaborative frameworks
- Avoiding traumatizing procedures and policies
- Building a trauma-informed culture in your organization
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What Makes this Certification Unique?
Rooted in the Four R's.
This certification course is grounded in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 4 R’s of key components of trauma-informed care.
Focused On Regulation & Relationships
The core concepts for helping children impacted by trauma are helping children learn to get regulated and develop healthy relationships. This certification explores both of these concepts in depth.
Test-Out Option
You may be a busy trauma-informed professional. The Level 1 certification is focused on basic knowledge that you may already know. So there’s an option built into the course for passing the comprehensive test to become certified without completing the coursework.
Additional Resources
We want you to have more resources at your fingertips. Each Lesson of Level 1 comes with a Notes Page that provides the sources used to create the content and additional resources to further your learning.
A Vital Framework to Becoming Trauma-Informed
This Level 1 Certification is for EVERYONE working with and caring for children. The Lessons that make up this coursework are designed to build a solid foundation as you begin your trauma-informed journey. Or to help bring the knowledge and experience you have into clearer focus, and give you the credential to show your knowledge
30 Years of Foundational Knowledge
Since 1995, ATN has been supporting and educating the adults working with children impacted by trauma and attachment disorders. Who better to provide a certification course that focuses on trauma-informed, attachment-focused care!
Volunteer
Attachment & Trauma Network is powered by VOLUNTEERS — very passionate, and very busy volunteers. All volunteers should be current ATN members and should have a computer with internet access, as all work is done virtually. ATN volunteers are an AWESOME (and fun) bunch, and we’re very flexible — so the work can be done when you’re available.
Here are the areas where we actively need help:
- Resources Directory Volunteers
- Bloggers
- Task Forces
- Support Group Volunteers
- Social Media/PR Volunteers
- Conference Volunteers
- Committees & Board Work
Resources Directory Volunteers. Our incredible new Resource Directory needs volunteers to research trauma-informed, attachment-focused resources and verify information. If you like to search the web and talk to people…this is a great opportunity to help. It can be done when you’re available. ContactKirsten Murdoch our Directory Coordinator
Bloggers. Are you a blogger who writes about therapeutic parenting, trauma-informed education or what it’s like to live with attachment and trauma challenges? Our Voices (ATN’s blog) has writers who are parents, teachers, survivors, clinicians, adoption professionals and more. We’d love to talk with you about blogging regularly or being a guest blogger. Our blog averages over 2,000 views per post. Contact Julie Beemto discuss.
Task Forces. With programming focused on Parenting/Families and Schools/Educators we have created a Task Force for each of these areas of volunteers who want to participate in the development and enhancement of these programs. Task Force members volunteer their time and talent to help support others, give focused input/advice on program needs and help to be champions and build awareness for ATN. If you’re interested in participating in an ATN Task Force, reach out to Ginger Healy, our Program Director.
Support Group Volunteers. ATNs membership is growing rapidly! We need help supporting our growing membership of parents who need to know that they’re NOT ALONE in this therapeutic parenting journey and teachers who want to discuss specific strategies/practical ideas and ways of surviving/thriving as their schools become trauma-informed.
Social Media/PR Volunteers. Can you Tweet? Are you all about Instagram? Always checking your Linked In account? Help ATN get the word out through these social media platforms. Do you have a background in PR or just like to write – we can use that skill too. It’s easy, and can be done on your own schedule.
Conference Volunteers. Every February we need many volunteers to help with conference registration and as workshop monitors (those are the two main jobs). But we also have need for volunteers to help us in the self-care area, book selling table, extra events, and more. It’s a great way to get to attend the conference and to help make the conference a huge success.
Committees & Board Work. In a fast-growing non-profit, the need for experienced volunteers to lead and advise is great. If you are interested in lending your leadership and business expertise to the trauma-informed movement in a strategic way, ATN’s leadership could be the place for you. You will get to work along side some incredible trailblazers making a real difference in this field!
Advocate
ATN advocates for policies, legislation, increased awareness and system change that:
- Provide/increase trauma-informed, attachment-focused resources and supports for traumatized children and those with attachment disorders.
- Support families (adoptive, foster, step and bio), their rights, their safety, and their importance in healing the hearts of traumatized children.
- Promote and sustain the creation of trauma-informed school policies and practices.
- Align with ATN’s beliefs and mission.
ATN’s advocacy effortsinclude raising awareness in communities and nationally about the needs of traumatized children for therapeutic interventions and therapeutic parenting, as well asproviding input into legislation that impacts traumatized children and their families. This frequently includes policies in mental health, child welfare, educationand adoption/foster care.
Everyone can be involved
Everyone can be involved. ATN maintains an active Facebook group — ATN Advocates— where members and interested advocates share ideas, news, and other information. While ATN Advocates is open to all, we encourage you to support ATN through an active membership and/or direct donations, which are how our programs are funded.
ATN is a Registered 501 (C) 3 Non Profit.
We operate on donations and membership dues — and on volunteer power! Join your voice to ours to help heal traumatized hearts and give hope to children in their families, schools and communities!
DONATE TODAY!
