This book is over five hundred pages long, so I haven’t read all of it yet; but the book that I find myself consulting over and over again is the book Trauma Through A Child’s Eyes by Peter A. Levine and Maggie Kline.

The book is extremely thorough and clinical, yet highly readable and accessible. The book walks the reader through infancy through adolescence and is specific to issues of trauma.

There are four sections: Understanding Trauma (covering what trauma is, physiological response, signs of trauma, and types of trauma); General Guide For Preventing Childhood Trauma (which discusses support systems, emotions, play therapy and resources); Workbook For Commonly Occurring Situations (this section lists types of traumas such as medical/surgical, accidents , child abuse, divorce, etc.); and Towards A Humanistic View Of Trauma (dealing with birth, life in the womb, development, etc.).

Dr. Levine covers the subject in detail providing practical insights from his many years as a practitioner, therapist and creator of the practice known as Somatic Experiencing ®. His co-author is Maggie Kline, a marriage and family therapist (as well as a parent, former teacher, and school psychologist) with over thirty years of practical experience in the field.

As someone with a background in Early Childhood Education, I appreciated the book’s organization into developmental stages. It discusses trauma in the context of a child’s developmental stages. Given that children may have a chronological age that differs from his or her developmental stage, the book was invaluable from this perspective.

The book offers case studies so one can “see” what trauma looks like, as well as offering very practical tips and applications. Additionally, the book offers games and activities to reinforce some of the concepts presented.
Many books of its type are very sterile and clinical. I was thrilled to find such a technical book on such a complex topic at such a readable and practical level. It is a wonderful addition to the library of any adult working with children who suffer from trauma.

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