About trauma-informed practices

We can never know without a doubt which children have experienced trauma and which haven’t. Some have experienced trauma but not told anyone, some may not label an experience as 'trauma' until years later, and some, for their own safety, may be unable to share that they are currently living in traumatic situations. When trauma-informed strategies are used with all youth, we can ensure that the children and adolescents who can’t ask for support are still getting it.

Trauma-informed strategies can also help to proactively establish protective factors. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network describes protective factors such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and coping skills as “buffering the adverse effects of trauma and its stressful aftermath.”

Some protective factors are inherent to a child’s nature or a result of early caregiving experiences, but we can teach coping mechanisms, help develop a healthy self-image, and provide opportunities for practice in managing stress. Providing these supports to all youth bolsters these protective factors. While not every child will experience a significant trauma in life, all of us as humans experience loss, stress, and challenges. Building up youths’ resilience will help them through these experiences. Learn More

About Educational Consultation

Dr. Palma’s goal in working with families and schools is one of cohesion and collaboration. Her ethos is that school systems work best through a collaborative team approach, and she values the expertise of all members of each school team, including and especially the expertise of the parents regarding their own child. It is through this collaborative approach that Dr. Palma believes children are best served.

Dr. Palma’s approach is unique in that while advocating for the needs of a child, she does so through a consultative process with the school, service providers, and family. Keeping at the forefront the notion that children are at their best when the right balance of challenge, independence, and support is met, she works with all team members to strike that balance through a data-based and problem-solving approach. Learn More

Psychological-Educational Evaluations & Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs)

The purpose of a psycho-educational assessment is to provide parents and guardians with comprehensive information about how their child thinks and learns. The information obtained from a psycho-educational assessment can be used to identify gaps in learning and provide the child's school with actionable information to base interventions off of. Psychological-educational assessments are not diagnostic in nature, but can help to identify specific disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Learning Disorders. Additionally, these evaluations provide information about the manifestations of these disorders in the school setting, and provide useful information for targeted school-based interventions.

For private-pay clients, your child will be assessed in a private setting and a written evaluation will be provided to you within 2-4 weeks, as well as a meeting held, to discuss the results and recommendations in detail. This is significantly expedited from traditional school-based asessments which are completed in 60 days, allowing you to identify needs in a timely manner. Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) are completed within the traditional 60-day timeframe. Learn More

Training

Dr. Palma provides training to schools and districts on best practices in suicide assessment, and school behavioral threat assessment. Learn More