This integrated class merges developmental theory, trauma-informed care principles, and a focused lens on immigration-related family separation to equip providers for the realities of the current political moment. Participants will explore how the intersection of enforcement, fear, and separation reshapes children’s developmental trajectories. The class will examine how traumatic stress from immigration enforcement differs in chronicity, anticipatory anxiety, systemic power dynamics and demand responsive adaption. Providers will learn conversation tools about separation for different developmental levels, scaffold emotional literacy, and help children maintain cultural and familial connection amidst potential displacement. Focus on self-regulation and provider resilience remain core pillars.

The class will also explore advocacy, boundary-setting, and access of referrals networks by contributing to a “living toolkit” of local and national resources (legal, mental health, and community) that providers can reference as situations evolve more specifically. This class aims to empower providers to response with competence, empathy, stability.