In this episode of Real Life Counseling, Ryan is joined by Dr. Ernie Reilly, LCSW, Amanda Riendeau, LMHC, and Andreina Bello, LMHC from The Counseling Corner to talk about childhood trauma, how it can show up in children, and how child trauma therapy can help kids begin to heal.

Many parents hear the word trauma and think only of major catastrophic events, but trauma in children can also come from experiences like divorce, conflict at home, bullying, grief, medical experiences, abuse or neglect, instability, natural disasters, or other overwhelming situations. For children, trauma often shows up through behavior before it shows up in words. A child may become angry, defiant, clingy, fearful, withdrawn, regressive, or suddenly overwhelmed by things that seem small from an adult perspective.

The conversation explains how therapy for childhood trauma is different from therapy for adults. Children may not be ready or able to talk directly about what happened, so therapists often use play, art, connection, emotional safety, and gentle observation to help children process painful experiences in a way their nervous system can handle. The goal is not to force children to relive trauma, but to help them feel safe, supported, understood, and gradually more in control.

Parents will also hear practical ways to support healing at home, including creating predictable routines, staying calm during big emotions, acknowledging what the child is feeling, and avoiding the urge to minimize or rush past the child’s experience.

Key Takeaways:

• Childhood trauma is not only about what happened; it is about how the child experienced and processed what happened.

• Children often communicate trauma through behavior, body language, play, emotions, sleep changes, clinginess, anger, regression, or withdrawal.

• Two children can experience the same event and respond very differently based on age, development, temperament, support systems, and prior experiences.

• Child trauma therapy often looks different from adult trauma therapy because children process through play, connection, safety, and emotional regulation more than direct verbal processing.

• A child does not need to repeatedly retell a painful story for therapy to be effective.

• Talking about trauma does not automatically make it worse when it is done safely, gently, and at the child’s pace.

• Kids are resilient, but resilience does not mean they should have to “just bounce back” without support.

• Healing at home begins with emotional and physical safety, predictable routines, calm parenting, and helping children feel seen rather than managed.

• Parents should avoid minimizing a child’s experience with phrases like “you’re fine” or “it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

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Meet Our Counselors: Dr. Ernie Reilly, LCSW

Dr. Judi Allen, LCSW

Andreina Bellow, LMHC

Amanda Riendeau, LMHC

Michael Bombka, LMHC

Michelle Buchanan, LMHC

Walter Echols, LCSW

George Allmaras, LMHC

Alejandra Rios, MA, RMHCI