As children grow and develop, the consistent adults in their lives are the ones that help them understand overwhelming feelings like fear and sadness. But without a safe and reliable adult, children have no one to turn to except inward to themselves.

When young children are exposed to violence or abused before they have language skills, the trauma and negative events become part of their internal world and are also likely to impact their brain development. Their limited ability to cope with emotions combined with their lack of a stable adult leads to serious problems like depression, insecure attachment, and/or neurobiological changes.

Even as the children age and develop language skills, their early trauma can result in them not having the ability to cope with their current feelings and regulate the emotions they experience.

In our Birth to 5 Program, specially trained, dedicated therapists work with these very young children that have not yet gained the verbal skills to express themselves. The children express themselves through play and symbolism in an attempt to express their feelings.

These therapists are highly attuned to follow the child’s expressions of needs and confused understanding of the world they were growing up in without the adequate safety of a caretaking adult.

VIP’s Birth to 5 Program employs a number of different treatment modalities. Both seek to include the child’s current caregiver in helping these very young children deal with their traumas. Clinicians guide the parent and assist them in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the child’s inner world.

Many times the caregiver has had their own trauma growing up and may have difficulties being responsive to the child’s need. They may think, “my child doesn’t like me”, or “my child is purposely making my life hard” etc. The therapists in this program will assist the parents with their struggles and may recommend individual therapy for the parent as well.

Treatment is very focused on emotional understanding of the needs for both parent and child.