
The Utah County Trauma Resilience Initiative creates trauma-informed adults to support local children struggling with adversity.
Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on lifelong health and opportunity.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study shows that when a child experiences adverse experiences such as abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, divorce or other traumatic experiences it will effect later-life behavior/health outcomes. These can include social isolation, difficulty controlling anger, attachment problems, depression and more.
This is WHY we offer on-site training and presentations for teachers, administrators, parents and ALL care providers as well as monthly parenting classes and consultations to create a long-term culture of trauma sensitivity at your organization.
How Does Trauma-Resilience Training Help Me Help Kids?
As adults that deal with children we need to be TRAUMA RESILIENT by:
- Understanding the role that stress or trauma plays on emotional, social and cognitive development.
- Using self-regulation concepts for controlling emotions and apply them to the children.
- Understanding how stress and trauma can affect daily interactions and accomplishing tasks.
- Taking stress and trauma into account when disciplining children and youth.
To help adults become better equipped to with these issues, our training includes:
- Understanding the way ACEs affect behavior and learning
- Exploring the science behind toxic stress
- Practical strategies for working with children struggling with adversity
- Providing local and online resources to further assist you
Learn How Your School Can Be Trauma-Resilient:
The ‘trauma-sensitive schools’ movement has been present in parts of the United States for many years. This year the Utah State Office of Education is making it a priority to bring trauma-resilience practices to our state. Our Initiative is leading the way! Learn more about the origin of the national movement at traumasensitiveschools.org.

Our Resources
Handouts from the trainings:
- Trauma Resources and Reference Sheet
- Additional Online Resources
- Responding to Children with Early Life Stress
Trauma Resilience Listserv Archive:

The 2011-2012 National Survey on Children’s Health, as well as a 2011 Public Health Update by the Utah Department of Health show that ACEs are a concern in our state. The Utah Valley Trauma Resilience Initiative coordinated by the Family Support & Treatment Center seeks to actively spread awareness and education of the threat of ACEs to our community so that informed adults can help identify and support at-risk children and youth.