Abuse and neglect can have a profound effect on children's neurological development, and on their behavior. The often devastating impacts on trauma - on children's sense of self, on their ability to regulate their emotions, and on their capacity to talk about what has happened to them - can pose major challenges for child protective services workers, law enforcement investigators, forensic interviewers, and prosecutors.

In this new DVD series, leaders in the field of trauma and dissociation come together with experts on interviewing children and prosecuting abuse cases to give child protection professionals a grounding in the psychological impacts of abuse, and provide them with better tools for working with traumatized children. The series includes recent research on children's recantation and inconsistent accounts. The presenters include Bessel van der Kolk, Christine Courtois, Kathy Steele, Fran Waters, Richard Kluft, Victor Vieth, John E.B. Myers, and Thomas Lyon.

The first program, Behavioral Impacts, explains the internal effects of trauma on children, and the behaviors that abused and neglected children may display. Topics include how the brain reacts to trauma, how children may be triggered, the different ways in which dissociation can present, and the importance of assessing for parental trauma histories.

The second program, Issues for Interviewers, discusses gathering information before the interview, recognizing barriers to disclosure, using open-ended questions and prompts, and helping children stay grounded.

The third program, Guidelines for Prosecutors, delves in the difficult issues prosecutors may face when pursuing child abuse cases. Topics include the need for prosecutors to educate themselves about psychological issues, how dissociation can confuse a child abuse investigation, preparing a child for court, and the role of expert witnesses.

Running time of each DVD approx 42+ minutes. Discussion Guide included