When children under 18 go through extremely troubling events, they are referred to as “child trauma” or “adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).”  There are a number of events that might qualify – the unexpected loss of a loved one, physical or mental abuse, witnessing violence,  or sustaining a serious injury.

According to the Center for Child Trauma Assessment, Services and Interventions at Northwestern University,  65% percent of all children have an adverse childhood experience, and 40% experience multiple child traumas.  When a child is not able to cope with such an event and has a behavioral response,  it’s called “child traumatic stress”.  What’s most unfortunate is the potential life-long effect when such stress is left untreated – too few youth have access to professional counseling services on their campus.

Learn more about child trauma from Northwestern University:  http://cctasi.northwestern.edu/family__trashed/child-trauma/