OPEN TO IASW MEMBERS ONLY

This four day course is facilitated by Aoife Bairead and will take place over four days:

Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th October

Friday, 25th October

Friday, 8th November

Intergenerational Trauma

Families where trauma is experienced across generations pass on learned and inherited stress responses, some of which can be maladaptive and damaging to wellbeing in current contexts. There is emerging research that suggest that demonstrate intergenerational links between early childhood/perinatal stress and stress related gene development. People who attend child protection, primary care, residential and mental health services are more likely to have experienced attachment and trauma difficulties than those in the general population and often exhibit symptoms of trauma behaviourally, emotionally and in their mental health. The application of knowledge and skills learned on this course can help to interrupt that cycle and offer pathways to healthier and more integrated responses from services and within families.

Participants are required to weave the theory into their practice, each bringing case examples and self-reflection into the following sessions.

Learning Outcomes

1) Understand the latest research and findings in trauma including intergenerational trauma

2) Consider how intergenerational trauma impacts on the health and wellbeing of individual service users/patients

3) Understanding child development and the developmental trajectory of trauma

5) Use this integrated understanding to support the person in recognising and regulating their trauma symptoms, and consider new strategies and responses to stressors Intergenerational and transgenerational trauma - taking a systemic family approach

6) Communicating your understanding with other professionals to support

interdisciplinary/holistic approaches with families

7) Present an anonymised case study using an attachment and trauma informed framework to plan, support and review interventions

8) Using an attachment and trauma informed lens in self-care and team support

Aoife Bairéad has been working with children and families for over twenty years. Aoife’s focus is on building, repairing and supporting family relationships so that every family member has a sense of meaning and belonging. Aoife offers families support through parent consultations and mentoring,  therapeutic work with children and their families including foster and adoptive families, supporting schools and other professionals. Her primary degree is in social work and her post graduate training is in attachment and trauma informed assessments and interventions for children and adults. Aoife is trained in therapeutic approaches including Theraplay, EMDR, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Mentalisation Based Treatment.  

Since she began her career Aoife has been working with families who have experienced stressors, loss and trauma. Aoife has worked with children experiencing mental health difficulties including infant mental health, and those who have experienced separation, loss, community and gang violence, bereavement and trauma. In 2018 Aoife set up Minds in Mind, a service dedicated to supporting children and their families. Aoife uses evidence informed assessment and interventions to empower families to find ways to improve children and their family's day to day lives. This is done holistically with those caring for the children providing an individualised and family focused plan that caters to their needs and focuses on agreed goals and outcomes.

Aoife is a guest lecturer on the Masters in Social Work in University College Dublin and provides training to organisations such as the Irish Association of Social Workers, the HSE and Tusla Child and Family Agency as well as bespoke training for specialist groups, fostering agencies, youth and community programmes and services working with children with mental health, disability and complex needs.

Aoife is the Chair the Special Interest Group for Children and Families with the Irish Association of Social Workers.  She is also the Chair of the Canal Communities Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Aoife is an Ad-Hoc Board Member of the International Association for the Study of Attachment.