We are glad you are here to learn more about how traumatic experiences (including abuse and neglect) impact children, how symptoms of trauma are often misunderstood in ways that harm children, and how we can change children’s lives and the system by engaging in trauma-informed advocacy and decision making.

While this training is geared toward legal professionals, we welcome anyone who works within the child protection field to our training portal. The portal includes over 15 hours of training regarding the impact of trauma on children and how to address it. This training meets all the requirements of Texas Family Code 107.004(b-4).

We are especially grateful for the young adults with lived experience in foster care who have been brave enough to tell their stories. We dedicate these efforts to them and to all children who have experienced trauma. It is our hope that this training (along with other efforts throughout the state) changes the system, and in turn, changes children’s lives for the better.

Impact of TLC's Legal Professional Trauma Training

Through our Legal Professional Trauma Training, Texas Lawyers for Children has trained over 1,000 judges, attorneys, CASAs and other professionals in 215 Texas counties on the impact of trauma on children and related legal issues. Feedback has been extremely positive. One recent training participant made these comments:

“I have waited for a training like this to be released for about 15 years, since I first became a trauma-informed parent. I changed my law practice from intellectual property law to children's law when my adopted child showed me and taught me what trauma was all about. As I tried to explain these concepts to schools, caseworkers, and others, they looked at me like I was crazy. Even in court all these years later, I see such a huge lack of trauma knowledge among attorneys and even some caseworkers. THIS is the training I wish I had been given before adopting my daughter so she didn't have to teach me, through her behavior and suffering about trauma. THIS is the training I hoped I could give teachers, social workers, therapists, friends, and family 15 years ago to support our family and could not. THIS is the trauma training attorneys need. It would change the lives of children everywhere if those in the system could understand these concepts. I have been to hundreds of hours of trauma training and conferences but, if I had to pick just one training for everyone to see, this would be THAT training.”

To read more about the Impact of TLC's Legal Professional Trauma Training Program, click here.