Trauma Awareness and Resources for Youth-Serving Professionals

Given the overall strain on youth mental health in recent years, the presence of caring adults who feel confident that they have the necessary tools and resources to support youth mental health is more important than ever. In NAMI focus groups, youth serving professionals reported that they recognize the importance of youth mental health, and have concerns about their role, as non-clinicians, in meeting youth needs.

Trauma awareness training can help equip youth serving professionals to recognize the role they can play as caring adults in young people’s lives, simply by understanding how stressors impact youth moods, attitudes, and behaviors. In addition to raising awareness, NAMI will offer concrete resources that professionals can use in their work with youth to improve their socioemotional well-being.

During this 2024 Share My Lesson Virtual Conference session, participants will receive an overview of key topics related to trauma. The presentation will include an exclusive preview of video highlights from NAMI’s new, on-demand, Trauma Awareness Training, scheduled to launch on nami.org in June 2024. Workshop participants will receive resources they can use in their work with young people, including scripts for mindfulness practices and tips tailored by age-group for understanding and engaging youth whose behavior is impacted by traumatic stress.