NM FIESTA Project Training: Trauma and the Developing Brain

By the end of this session, foster and adoptive parents will understand how trauma affects brain development and impacts learning, behavior, and emotional regulation in children. They will be able to identify the neurological and behavioral signs of trauma exposure and recognize how trauma responses—such as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn behaviors—are survival mechanisms rather than willful misbehavior. Parents will learn how adverse experiences reshape neural pathways and affect memory, attention, impulse control, and emotional processing. They will apply at least 3 evidence-based strategies rooted in neuroscience to support their child’s healing and brain development, including creating safety, building predictability, and fostering co-regulation. Parents will also develop the ability to communicate with therapists, educators, and other professionals using trauma-informed language and will understand how their own calm, consistent presence directly supports their child’s brain healing and resilience.

Contact Katie Bustamante at 505-918-0221or kbustamante@allfaiths.org for more information and/or event details. Following online registration, families will receive an email with more information. No cost (free).