Document Type
Portfolio
Publication Date
Summer 2026
Abstract
Goal Statement:
The goal of this social change project is to increase awareness of how unresolved childhood trauma can affect parenting, emotional regulation, and family relationships among low-income families in Charlotte, North Carolina. This project focuses on prevention by promoting trauma-informed education, emotional regulation skills, and evidence-based parenting support programs that can help reduce intergenerational patterns of trauma.
Significant Findings: Unresolved childhood trauma may affect adults through emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, unhealthy communication, harsh discipline, and difficulty forming healthy family relationships. These challenges may increase parenting stress and create emotionally unsafe home environments for children. In Charlotte, families may also experience barriers such as limited access to affordable mental health care, high childcare costs, neighborhood stressors, and stigma related to seeking counseling. The findings in this portfolio suggest that prevention efforts should address risk and protective factors at the individual, family, community, and societal levels. Social Cognitive Theory and the Health Belief Model provide useful frameworks for helping caregivers learn healthier parenting behaviors, increase self-efficacy, understand the risks of continuing harmful patterns, and reduce barriers to support. Evidence-based parenting programs, such as The Incredible Years Basic Parent Program, may help reduce harsh discipline, parenting stress, and child behavior concerns when adapted to meet the needs of Charlotte families (Carpenter & Chung, 2023; Morelen et al., 2020; National Cancer Institute, 2005; Reid et al., 2019; SAMHSA, 2019).
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps: First, counseling professionals should provide trauma-informed education to help parents understand how childhood trauma can influence emotional regulation, stress responses, and parenting behaviors. Second, professionals should connect caregivers to evidence-based parenting programs, such as The Incredible Years Basic Parent Program, to teach positive discipline, emotional coaching, communication skills, and parent-child relationship building. Third, local agencies should reduce barriers to participation by offering evening sessions, free childcare, transportation support, meals, and bilingual English/Spanish materials. Fourth, community partners such as Mecklenburg County Family Resource Centers, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, local pediatric clinics, churches, and community counseling agencies should collaborate to provide referrals, meeting spaces, and family support resources. Fifth, prevention counselors should use Social Cognitive Theory strategies, such as video modeling, role-play, guided practice, and positive feedback, to increase parents' confidence in using healthier parenting responses. Sixth, professionals should use Health Belief Model strategies by helping caregivers recognize the seriousness of intergenerational trauma while also emphasizing the benefits of early intervention, family support, and emotional regulation training. Finally, advocacy efforts should focus on increasing affordable mental health services, expanding family-based prevention programs, and reducing stigma around counseling and parenting support in low-income communities.
