Webinar for Youngest Trauma Victims

A webinar entitled “Trauma in Young Children Under 4-Years of Age:  Attachment, Neurobiology, and Interventions was developed by Dr. Kim Renk, Psychology Department, and was made available on the Military Families Learning Network in April.

In this webinar, Dr. Kimberly Renk explores how young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of trauma, especially when their relationships with their caregivers are affected. Dr. Renk examines the characteristics of trauma in young children who are 4-years of age and younger. In particular, formal diagnostic criteria as well as other signs and symptoms of trauma in young children are discussed. Further, the neurobiological underpinnings of traumatic experiences for young children are explored, particularly with regard to potential effects on future development. Finally, evidence-based interventions that may be useful for remediating the effects of trauma for young children and their families are examined.

To watch this webinar, please click here.

Kimberly Renk, Ph.D. is currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Director of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Central Florida as well as a licensed Psychologist in the state of Florida. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois, her Master’ s degree in Clinical Psychology from Illinois State University, and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Florida with a predoctoral internship at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Although Dr. Renk has diverse clinical experience with young children, school-age children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of psychological settings, the majority of Dr. Renk’s work has addressed the needs of young children who are already experiencing emotional and behavioral problems, particularly due to stressors in their families.  Throughout her graduate students and her postdoctoral work, Dr. Renk has worked with traumatized children in a variety of settings, including the completion of Infant Mental Health Fellowship training while at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.  Most recently, Dr. Renk has been working with Neil Boris, M.D., of Nemours Children’s Hospital to integrate evidence-based parenting interventions into the child welfare system in the Central Florida region.