Free Trauma Understanding & Recovery Resources for Children and Teens

Putting words to frightening or confusing experiences becomes easier through the conversational format between Hayden and Jessie. The booklet explains trauma as events or emotional strain that can leave a lasting impact, then uses Hayden’s story of growing up around violence to show how early experiences can affect safety, relationships, coping and confidence later in life.

Visible sections introduce Adverse Childhood Experiences, the idea that people respond differently to similar events, and common impacts such as low self-esteem, anxiety, nightmares, mood swings, headaches, disrupted sleep and high-risk behaviours. Practical prompts ask questions such as whether something has happened, whether it is thought about often, and whether it gets in the way of daily life.

Youth workers, counsellors, school pastoral staff and carers could use it in one-to-one conversations or small group sessions to help young people identify triggers, including sounds, smells, arguments, bullying, certain gestures and authority figures. Short sentence starters such as ‘When I see… I feel…’ and ‘When I hear… I feel…’ give a simple structure for reflection. Written by Brianne Masselli and Johanna Bergan for Youth M.O.V.E. National.

Trauma reactions are explained in a young-person-friendly way, including why the brain can stay on high alert after an event and why memories may feel jumbled, vivid or unfinished. The visible contents cover looking after yourself after trauma, common feelings, low mood, triggers, sleep, anxiety, upsetting thoughts and worries, facing fears, school or college, future reminders, helplines, useful apps and appendices.

The booklet can be used by children and young people with support from a trusted adult, parent, carer, teacher or clinician. It is particularly useful for conversations after accidents, attacks, bereavement, serious illness or other frightening experiences, helping young people recognise that struggling is not weakness and that support is available. The original version was created by the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub and funded by NHS England.

When a young person is trying to make sense of trauma after a bushfire, disaster or other frightening event, the booklet offers reassurance that varied reactions are normal and that asking for help is okay. The opening pages introduce the young adult contributors, then move into mental health, trauma, chronic stress and common responses such as low motivation, disrupted sleep, worry, loss of routine and withdrawal.

Practical suggestions include resting, taking time out, doing enjoyable activities, looking after physical health, limiting repeated exposure to distressing news or social media, reconnecting with familiar routines and talking with trusted people or support services. It could be used at home, in youth work, school wellbeing sessions or counselling conversations with adolescents, families and practitioners who want accessible language grounded in lived experience. Authors named in the booklet are April Harrison, Megan Wall, Daniel Leadbeater and Katitza Marinkovic Chavez.

In everyday coping, reflection or therapy sessions, the workbook offers structured techniques for people who have experienced trauma and are no longer in immediate danger. Early pages explain common trauma reactions such as fear, anger, shame, numbness, disturbed sleep, intrusive memories, avoidance and feeling constantly alert.

Visible sections introduce seven coping techniques, including grounding statements, grounding through the five senses, body movement, updating, same/different, imagery work and nightmare rescripting. The first exercises include writing a personal grounding statement and using sight, sound, smell, touch and taste to notice the current environment and remind yourself that the trauma is not happening now.

Useful for individuals, therapists, psychologists and support workers, it can be used at home, while waiting for therapy, or within sessions to practise safer coping strategies. The workbook was written by trauma expert Caroline Harrison, a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist at the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Teenagers who have experienced trauma are the main audience for this workbook, with the material also suited to counsellors, therapists, parents and carers supporting them. The cover and endorsements describe a hands-on format for coping with traumatic memories, creating a sense of safety and calm, finding support, and reconnecting with others.

The early pages show that the book combines accessible information with worksheets intended to help young people work through symptoms, rebuild personal control and strengthen self-esteem. It can be used independently by a teen at their own pace, or as a structured framework within therapy sessions or supportive work at home.

Written by Libbi Palmer, PsyD, and published by Instant Help Books, the workbook is presented as a practical trauma recovery resource for adolescents rather than a purely explanatory text.

The “Why Am I Here?” page asks teenagers to reflect on their hopes, concerns, goals, and what would feel most or least helpful from their therapist. Earlier pages include a full contents list and a clinical introduction linking the activities to TF-CBT components such as psychoeducation, relaxation, affect regulation, cognitive processing, trauma narration, in vivo mastery, conjoint sessions and future safety.

Sessions can use the workbook as a structured companion while still allowing space for conversation, creative activities, role play, relaxation practice, thought logs or caregiver involvement. Visible sections point towards worksheets on trauma reminders, avoidance, chilling out, feelings, grounding, mindfulness, thoughts, safety planning, support systems and review, making it suitable for trained TF-CBT therapists, supervised graduate clinicians and caregivers involved in treatment.

Designed for personal or clinical use, the workbook is written for teenagers who have experienced one or more traumatic events and is intended to sit alongside appropriate TF-CBT training and supervision. Authors named on the cover are Alison Hendricks, Matthew Kliethermes, Judith A. Cohen, Anthony P. Mannarino and Esther Deblinger.

Trauma reminders are framed as a “wormhole” back to earlier experiences of fear, loss, separation or not being properly cared for. The page describes how the body remembers feelings, sights, sounds and smells, then reacts quickly through fight, flight, freeze or collapse even when other people cannot see an obvious danger.

Children, parents, carers and therapists can use the handout to make sense of sudden anger, fear or withdrawal in everyday moments at home, school or in sessions. Its simple wording and illustrations support conversations about triggers, body memories, loneliness, and the importance of repeated safe experiences where a child feels seen and heard.

Created by Beacon House Therapeutic Services & Trauma Team, 2020.

Parents, carers and practitioners can use the booklet as a shared reference when trying to understand what sits underneath a child’s behaviour at home or in sessions. The opening pages explain, from the child’s perspective, how early fear and a lack of felt safety can strengthen survival responses, even when the child is now loved and safe.

The booklet introduces four survival states: Freeze, Flight, Fight and Submit. In the pages provided, the Freeze section lists observable signs such as appearing bored, confused, distracted, clumsy, still, wide-eyed, forgetful, scanning the room, zoning out or seeming not to listen.

Its practical value is in shifting attention from behaviour alone to the hidden feelings and body states beneath it. It is likely to be useful for adoptive parents, foster carers, kinship carers and therapeutic professionals supporting traumatised children. Created by Helen Townsend in collaboration with Beacon House Therapeutic Services & Trauma Team.

Use it in staff training, supervision or pastoral planning to help adults notice when a pupil’s apparent boredom, stillness or scanning of the room may be a protective freeze response. The visible pages introduce survival mode in a pupil-centred voice, explaining how early experiences can leave the brain feeling under attack even when the young person is physically safe.

The PDF sets out why survival states affect learning, describing how the brain’s survival system can override the calmer parts needed for attention, connection and learning. A section on “Freeze” lists what it can look like in school, including not listening, not moving to where the pupil is meant to be, sitting or standing still, wide eyes, dilated pupils and a drugged or zoned-out presentation. Written by Mark Thorley and Helen Townsend.

Across the opening pages, the booklet combines brief explanations, young people’s quoted experiences and simple bullet-point lists. It explains what counts as a traumatic event, including disasters, serious accidents, assault, intimate partner violence, sexual or physical abuse, war and torture.

The visible content describes common reactions after trauma, such as anger, sadness, fear, confusion, headaches, stomach aches, appetite changes, nightmares, sleep problems, fights, risk-taking, poor concentration, school difficulties and withdrawing from other people. It also notes that many people recover within a few weeks, while some continue to feel bad for longer.

Young people could read it at home, with a trusted adult, or alongside a school counsellor, youth worker or mental health practitioner as a starting point for conversation. The early advice is practical and clear: seek help as soon as possible if distress is still strong after a week or two. Produced by Phoenix Australia, Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health.

A steadier, more structured recovery process is encouraged through 12 between-session assignments covering trauma history, talking about trauma, trust, safe-place imagery, nightmares, the window of tolerance, boundaries, memory problems, depersonalisation, learned optimism and post-traumatic growth.

The visible worksheet begins with prompts to clarify whether the person was directly exposed to trauma, witnessed it, heard about it from a loved one, or experienced repeated or indirect exposure. It also includes checkboxes for experiences such as assault, serious illness, combat, sexual abuse, accidents, child abuse or neglect, homelessness, job loss and bereavement, followed by space to describe what happened. It would suit trauma survivors working at home, counsellors setting reflective tasks, and therapists using practical prompts in sessions. Written by Angela M. Doel, M.S.

The booklet is laid out as a child-created profile, beginning with a cover page, simple brain-based explanations, and fill-in prompts for a trusted adult. Early pages explain survival mode in accessible language, describing how a child may feel under attack even when they are safe, and how the survival part of the brain can take over from the calm part.

Visible sections introduce the four survival modes: fight, flight, freeze and submit. The sample worksheet shown focuses on Freeze, with space to record what it looks like on the outside and prompts such as seeming bored, confused, forgetful, not listening, stubborn, daydreaming or clumsy.

Useful for parents, carers, teachers, social workers and therapists, it can support one-to-one conversations, care planning, school support discussions or therapeutic work with children who struggle to explain what is happening internally. Created by Helen Townsend, with thanks to Dr Katy Savage.

At home, school or in a CAMHS appointment, the leaflet can help a young person name common trauma reactions such as nightmares, intrusive memories, feeling jumpy, panic sensations, guilt, numbness, irritability and difficulty concentrating. It makes clear that struggling after trauma is not a sign of weakness and that feelings often improve with time.

The advice is practical and easy to act on, with suggestions such as eating well, sleeping where possible, doing gentle exercise, reducing pressure around homework or tidying, returning gradually to normal activities, avoiding upsetting news or social media, and using reminders that the trauma is in the past. It also encourages talking or writing about what happened when ready, allowing strong feelings, doing enjoyable daily activities, and asking a trusted adult, GP or medical team for support. Produced by NHS Lothian.

When a child avoids asking for help, changes themselves to fit in, or insists they are fine, the pages offer language for understanding what may be happening underneath. The main poster explains how some children learn that showing needs, emotions or vulnerability can feel unsafe, so they become quiet, independent, compliant or masked.

The PDF includes a chameleon illustration, an explanation of the “blend in to survive” response, and practical “little and often” suggestions such as naming emotions gently, using stories to show feelings, staying close when things go wrong, offering help in bite-size bits, and noticing effort rather than only success.

Two follow-on pages provide a reflective activity: one with example prompts such as “never ask for help”, “tell people I’m fine even though I’m not”, and “change who I am depending on who I am with”, plus a more open version for children or young people to add their own words. It could be used in therapy, school pastoral work, social care conversations or at home with a trusted adult. Created by Beacon House Therapeutic Services and Trauma Team.