Emotional Trauma & Regulation Support

Children who have experienced trauma may have difficulty regulating emotions, managing stress, or feeling safe in everyday situations. Occupational therapists (OTs) use a trauma-informed approach to help children develop coping strategies, predictability, and confidence in managing their feelings. Play, daily routines, and structured activities become tools to build emotional safety, resilience, and self-regulation.

What does OT support look like in this area?

OT support is tailored to each child’s experience and needs:

• Creating safe, predictable routines: Consistent schedules, clear expectations, and structured transitions help children feel secure.

• Teaching coping strategies: Deep breathing, grounding techniques, sensory activities, or visual tools to manage stress and anxiety.

• Building emotional awareness: Helping children recognise and name feelings, and understand triggers.

• Supporting self-regulation: Using movement, sensory input, or structured activities to calm or energise as needed.

• Facilitating gradual exposure to challenges: Encouraging children to face difficult situations with support and safety.

• Collaboration with caregivers and teachers: Providing strategies for consistent support across home, school, and community.

Trauma-Informed Care in OT

Trauma-informed care recognises the impact of trauma on a child’s development, behaviour, and engagement. Key principles OTs apply include:

• Safety: Ensuring the child feels physically and emotionally secure.

• Trustworthiness & transparency: Clear communication, predictable routines, and honest explanations of activities.

• Choice & empowerment: Giving the child options and control over activities to support autonomy.

• Collaboration: Working closely with families, teachers, and other professionals.

• Cultural sensitivity & respect: Understanding the child’s background and tailoring interventions accordingly.

Trauma-informed OT ensures that all interventions are sensitive to triggers, reduce stress, and prioritise emotional safety while still promoting skill development.

How OT support helps in everyday life

• Children learn to manage anxiety, stress, and frustration more effectively.

• Improves participation in daily routines and school activities.

• Reduces behavioural outbursts or avoidance related to triggers.

• Supports the development of resilience, confidence, and emotional regulation over time.

How this skill can change as your child grows

• Early childhood: Developing basic coping strategies, trusting caregivers, and forming secure attachments.

• School-age: Using regulation strategies independently in class or group settings, expressing needs, managing transitions.

• Adolescence: Applying coping strategies across social, academic, and community environments, understanding triggers, and self-advocating for support.

How this skill can look at home, school, or in the community

• Home: Consistent routines, visual schedules, calm-down areas, and collaborative problem-solving.

• School: Predictable classroom transitions, access to calm corners, sensory breaks, and teacher-supported strategies.

• Community: Gradual exposure to social or recreational activities with strategies for regulation, safety, and emotional support.