Reducing Traumatic Stress for Children in the Emergency Department
Session Recording
Description
This dynamic training team will discuss the importance of providing trauma-responsive care for children and adolescents in emergency departments and the role that it can play in suicide prevention.
A trip to the emergency department can be a scary and overwhelming time for all patients, especially for children and teens experiencing a mental health crisis. When hospitals create a trauma-responsive care culture, they can provide care that supports all patients, especially the most vulnerable. This dynamic training team will discuss the importance of providing trauma-responsive care for children and adolescents in emergency departments and the role that it can play in suicide prevention. This important topic will be presented from the perspective of a past emergency department provider who has implemented trauma-responsive care techniques in the emergency department, a peer support specialist who speaks openly about her experience as an adolescent in the emergency department, and a social worker who specializes in trauma and attachment.
This training will support the system-wide effort to ensure Vermont Emergency Department (ED) providers have the knowledge and resources they need to provide high-quality care for all patients who arrive in the ED by focusing on supporting providers with understanding and implementing best practices for providing trauma-responsive care. The training is divided into three sections: Understanding Developmental Trauma, De-escalation, and Strategies for Supporting Children in the Emergency Department. Each training section will provide best practice recommendations and allow providers to ask questions and discuss challenging scenarios.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this program, participants should be better able to:
- After participating in this training, participants will be able to explain strategies for reducing traumatic stress in children and discuss applications for emergency departments, specifically focusing on children experiencing suicidal ideation.
- After participating in this training, participants can demonstrate best practice strategies for verbal de-escalation.
- After participating in this training, participants will be able to define trauma-responsive care and discuss the role of historical and collective trauma and toxic stress on an individual’s responses and actions.
Facilitator
Co-Lead Vermont Chapter of Moms Demand Action
Eileen Barendse is a former educator, current Co-Lead of the Vermont Chapter of Moms Demand Action, and the State Lead for the BeSMART program.
As an educator and mother, Eileen became discouraged by the response to nationwide gun violence in schools and mass shootings. After joining Moms Demand Action in the summer of 2022, Eileen began learning about the alarming reality of gun violence in America and the role of guns in suicide deaths in Vermont. Through the BeSMART program, Eileen can reach caregivers nationwide and educate them about the importance of secure firearm storage as a lifesaving practice.
Facilitator
Co-Lead Vermont Chapter of Moms Demand Action
Eileen Barendse is a former educator, current Co-Lead of the Vermont Chapter of Moms Demand Action, and the State Lead for the BeSMART program.
As an educator and mother, Eileen became discouraged by the response to nationwide gun violence in schools and mass shootings. After joining Moms Demand Action in the summer of 2022, Eileen began learning about the alarming reality of gun violence in America and the role of guns in suicide deaths in Vermont. Through the BeSMART program, Eileen can reach caregivers nationwide and educate them about the importance of secure firearm storage as a lifesaving practice.
Facilitator
Reducing Traumatic Stress for Children in the Emergency Department trainer
She and her dynamic training team discuss the importance of providing trauma-responsive care for children and adolescents in emergency departments and the role that it can play in suicide prevention. She is currently working with the VPQHC on this training and future trainings.
Kristy is a former first-grade teacher with a master’s in childhood education. She has been a long-time In Our Own Voice Presenter and Trainer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Kristy has helped to develop and grow Vermont’s Ending the Silence program, a mental health and suicide prevention presentation for middle and high schoolers.
Kristy has presented to schools, has extensive public speaking experience, shares her journey at the Vermont Police Academy, and has spoken at VT’s Advocacy. She has been on multiple mental health panels and boards, is highlighted on Vermont’s Facing Suicide website, and has authored published articles regarding her mental health journey and trainer. Kristy has been a part of the VSPC’s Suicide Prevention Symposium for six years and is honored to present today.