Have you wondered what support is offered to heal children of abuse? Amber Dollar a licensed Clinical Social Work Supervisor joins us to breakdown how trauma is defined and what methods are most successful to assist in healing. She also breaks down what role the community, and healthy adults can do to support children as they become adults. 

Amber Dollar is a Licensed Clinical Social Work-Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. She specializes in trauma and grief therapy. She worked at the Chaves County CASA program for 10 years before opening her own private practice in April 2019 called The Nest Services, LLC. Currently she is doing contract work in two schools, one junior high and one high school, providing therapy services for high trauma cases. She is also one of the therapists for the Children’s Advocacy Center. Amber Dollar is married. She is the mother of three children, and focuses on her hobbies include organizing things, shopping and watching her kids play sports outside of her work. What drives her: Hoping that one day a client will say I made it through because she didn’t give up on me and she believed in me.

Episode Highlights 

1:30 - Meet Amber Dollar Licensed Clinical Social Work Supervisor  

3:00 - The journey to supporting youth in our community

6:45 - Defining where trauma comes from, and how it impacts children

8:30 - How trauma impacts children through adulthood 

10:30 - Finding the therapist that can support a child & what role mentorship plays in healing 

13:30 -  Play therapy and other methods that build relationships with children

19:00 - Adjusting someone’s experiences including taste and how they move their body to focus and heal 

21:30 - Kevin asks Ambers thoughts on the impact of spiritual abuse   

26:00 - Examples of how trauma can present in behaviors of children

31:00 - Making sure the child has support to break the grooming pattern

33:30 - Building these relationships to build confidence in these children’s lives

35:30 - 4% of the middle school population had adult support support

37:30 - How you can build a relationship with teens impacted by trauma

39:30 - Steps you can take to help a child heal

41:30 - Steps to help children grow into healed adults

44:00 - The role community plays in supporting this process 

47:00 - Amber shares an example of a woman who’s healing after her step-father abused her and went to prison