Children of Trauma & Resilience
Location: ONLINE - Self-Paced
COURSE: $85.00
There are still openings remaining at this time.
Children of Trauma and Resilience introduces participants to a trauma-informed and resilience-focused mindset and teaches participants about toxic stress and trauma, how to help process those experiences, and how to foster and nurture characteristics of resilience. This course begins with a strong focus on resilience and includes an exploration of how core values and beliefs direct the way professionals work with children. The four universal needs of all human beings as explained by the Circle of Courage model including belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity are explained and discussed. Participants learn about the experience of trauma as one that impacts a person’s body and shown a demonstration of trauma’s impact on the brain. This course offers insight into recognizing when a child is experiencing too much stress and provides a practical resilience recipe for any adult who supports children. Participants learn the importance of sensory-based interventions and how to assess a child’s private logic and universal needs. Finally, participants practice the development of trauma-informed and resilience-focused support plans for youth.
This course will be most beneficial for those who directly work with children, such as social workers, educators, counselors, therapists, psychologists, health care providers, or criminal justice professionals.
Children of Trauma and Resilience is offered in partnership with Starr Commonwealth, a global leader in trauma-informed care. Starr's mission is to lead with courage to create positive experiences so that all children, families, and communities flourish.
Objectives:
After participants have completed this course, they will be able to
- Identify the four universal needs.
- Cite the differences between grief and trauma.
- Understand trauma’s impact on the brain and central nervous system.
- Understand stress and how it impacts emotional, behavioral, and physical health.
- Know specific ways to foster and nurture resilience in themselves and others.
- Identify specific signs and symptoms experienced by a child indicating too much stress.
- Know the three key components of the "resilience recipe."
Training Format
The training will be delivered in an online, self-paced format delivered in six parts:
- Part I: Foundations begins with a strong focus on resilience and explores how core values and beliefs direct how professionals work with children.
- Part II: Brain Science explores neuroscience and early brain development, connecting that to the various types of traumas. In addition, participants will learn a useful tool for explaining trauma and trauma responses to children and their families.
- Part III: Understanding and Assessing Trauma teaches participants about the experience of trauma as one that impacts a person’s body, and students are shown a demonstration of trauma’s impact on the brain.
- Part IV: Trauma-Informed, Resilience Focused, Behavior Support Plan teaches participants how to implement a full Behavior Support plan, changing from a previous mindset of changing negative behaviors, to one of using curiosity and an understanding of universal needs to explore ways to support their behavior.
- Part V: Stress and Resilience: Seven Truths to Help Everyone offers 7 truths everyone needs to know about stress and resilience. The truths are essential for any person living in the world today to learn and understand. With this knowledge, you will be equipped to support yourself and others.
- Part VI: Resilience Matters: Supporting Children Who Experience Too Much Stress offers insight into recognizing when a child is experiencing too much stress and provides a practical resilience recipe for any adult who supports children.
Finally, you will need to complete and pass a brief, 10-question post-test before accessing your certificate.
**Learners are most successful when using a computer when completing this course. The course software does not work as intended on a phone or tablet.
**This course counts for 5.0 Social Work Continuing Education Credits, 5.0 State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs for Educators), and/or 5.0 CEUs. Once you have viewed all of the course content, you must pass a post-test with a score of 80% or higher to receive a continuing education certificate. Upon successful completion of the course and post-test, your continuing education certificate will be made available to download/print within Blackboard (our online course system).
Notes:
This course discusses and shows images and video that contain sensitive material. As you are watching please take care of yourself. If any of the content is activating please take a break from viewing the material and if you need additional support please reach out to a friend or family member.
Please note that you will receive access to the course about 2 hours after completing your registration. Your login instructions and credentials will be emailed to you shortly after registering for the course. This is done manually by one of our team members, but if you need quicker access, please visit: www.gvsu.edu/learn/login
Upon registering for the course, the learner has 365 days to complete all course materials and access their certificate. If the course is incomplete after 365 days, the learner’s access to the course will be removed. Our courses provide current material, and we strive to update our course offerings regularly. Due to this, the learner is encouraged to complete their course within one calendar year.
CANCELLATIONS:
- Participants may cancel their registration at any time by calling our office at 616-331-7180 or emailing learn@gvsu.edu. Participants seeking a refund must cancel their registration within 30 days of purchase and must not have already accessed the course content. You may either receive a full refund back on your card, or we can place a credit on your account for a future program.
Fee: | $85.00 |
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Hours: | 5.00 |
CEUs: | 5.00 |
ONLINE - Self-Paced
Program content is online, not-live and is self-pacedCaelan Soma

Dr. Caelan Soma, PsyD, LMSW, Chief Clinical Officer, oversees all clinical operations and research at Starr Commonwealth.
Dr. Soma provides trauma assessment and trauma-informed, resilience-focused intervention for youth utilizing evidence-based practices, including Starr’s SITCAP© model programs.
She has been involved in helping with the aftermath of disasters such as Sandy Hook, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and others. She has authored several books, the most recent, 10 Steps to Create a Trauma-Informed Resilient School and Healing the Experience of Trauma: A Path to Resilience.
She is an internationally acclaimed speaker and trainer, and is the instructor for many Starr courses, including Clinical Foundations of Trauma and Resilience.
She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at California Southern University, where she received the 2013 CalSouthern President’s Award.