Restoring Rhythm: Understanding Complex Childhood Trauma and Its Lifelong Impact on Mental Health

Childhood trauma extends far beyond adverse experiences, it fundamentally shapes attachment, emotional regulation, identity development, interpersonal relationships, and neurobiological functioning across the lifespan. Mental health clinicians are increasingly serving clients whose presenting concerns are rooted in complex developmental trauma, even when trauma is not immediately disclosed.

This webinar equips counselors with a trauma-informed framework for recognizing the long- term effects of childhood trauma while integrating evidence-based interventions that foster safety, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. Participants will explore the neurobiology of trauma, attachment disruptions, trauma responses that often present as anxiety or depression, and practical counseling strategies that support healing without re-traumatization.

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the developmental and neurobiological impacts of complex childhood trauma across the lifespan.

2. Differentiate common trauma responses from other presenting mental health concerns to improve case conceptualization and treatment planning.

3. Apply trauma-informed counseling interventions that promote emotional regulation, client safety, resilience, and long-term recovery.

Audience: Licensed Professional Counselors, Residents in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapists, Social Workers, School Counselors, Substance Use Counselors, and other behavioral health professionals.

Shirkydra Roberts, M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Residency. She has self-published 4 books and co-authored 3. She is an Incest Prevention and Recovery trainer, speaker, and Active Duty U.S. Navy Engineering Officer with nearly two decades of leadership experience. She specializes in trauma-informed care, resilience, childhood trauma recovery, workplace mental health, and leadership development. Through her clinical work, professional training, and speaking engagements, she equips professionals with practical, evidence-based strategies for serving individuals impacted by trauma while promoting counselor wellness and sustainable practice.

Her literary journey began with What’s a Word Worth (2015), a collection of trauma healing poetry. In 2019, she released Just Unwrap It, encouraging readers to uncover their hidden gifts that is often wrapped in trauma. In 2023, she published Dear Brain, You Have My Attention: Going Beyond a Healed Heart, to inspire personal growth and resilience. Her latest journal, God, Where Do I Start…, is a CBT influenced self-guided tool to assist readers with doing the mental work in their prayer time with God. Alongside her writing, Shirkydra has coached over 10 new authors worldwide, helping them bring their stories to life.