Understanding the impact, not just the experience.

Experiencing something traumatic and being traumatized are not always the same thing.

Two children can experience similar events and be affected in very different ways. A trauma assessment helps us look beyond what happened to understand how an experience may have affected this child or youth—their emotions, behaviour, relationships, development and sense of safety.

At Sincere Validation Therapy, we don't assume trauma. We take the time to understand its impact.

The Geraldine Crisci Trauma Assessment Model

Trauma assessments at Sincere Validation Therapy are informed by the Geraldine Crisci Trauma Assessment and Treatment Model, a specialized approach developed for assessing and treating trauma in children and youth.

One of the most important principles of the model is that experiencing a potentially traumatic event does not tell us, on its own, how a child has been affected.

The experience matters—but the child's individual response to that experience matters just as much.

The Crisci model takes a comprehensive approach, bringing together information from the child or youth, caregivers and other relevant sources, along with developmentally appropriate interviewing and standardized trauma assessment measures. Rather than asking only “What happened?”, the assessment explores four important areas:

Symptoms

How is the child functioning emotionally, physically and behaviourally?

The assessment looks for possible trauma-related responses such as anxiety, depression, changes in behaviour, physical complaints or dissociation, while also considering the child's overall functioning.

Responsibility

What meaning has the child made of what happened?

Children can sometimes carry guilt, shame, confusion or a sense of responsibility for experiences that were outside of their control. Understanding how a child interprets an experience can be just as important as knowing what occurred.

Sensory Reminders

What might bring the experience back for the child?

Traumatic experiences can become connected to sights, sounds, smells, physical sensations, places or other reminders. A child may react strongly to something without necessarily understanding why it feels threatening or overwhelming.

Identifying these reminders can help us better understand reactions that may otherwise appear confusing or unpredictable.

Developmental Disruption

How has the experience affected the child's development?

Children are still developing emotionally, socially, cognitively and relationally. Trauma can interfere with that development in different ways depending on the child's age, experiences, relationships and environment.

The assessment considers where the child was developmentally when experiences occurred and whether important areas of development may have been affected.

From Assessment to a Plan

The Crisci model does not view assessment as the end of the process.

Information gathered through the assessment is brought together to develop an individualized understanding of the child and identify meaningful treatment priorities.

This allows recommendations to be based on what this particular child needs, rather than assuming that every child who has experienced trauma requires the same intervention.

At Sincere Validation Therapy, this reflects something we believe strongly:

We don't assume trauma. We assess its impact.

Because when we understand the story behind a child's emotions and behaviour, we can make much more thoughtful decisions about what should come next.

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Who Might Benefit From a Trauma Assessment?

A trauma assessment may be helpful when a child or youth has experienced difficult or overwhelming circumstances and there are questions about how those experiences may be affecting them.

This might include experiences such as abuse or neglect, exposure to violence, significant loss or disruption, accidents or medical experiences, changes in caregivers or placements, or other frightening or overwhelming events.

An assessment may also be helpful when there have been significant changes in a child's emotions or behaviour and it isn't clear what is driving them.

Not every child who has experienced something difficult requires trauma treatment.

Sometimes one of the most valuable outcomes of an assessment is determining what isn'tneeded—and identifying what would be more helpful instead.