Dr. Vicki Sanders

A Trauma-Informed Way to Understand What Children Are Really Saying Parents, caregivers, and professionals often find themselves asking the same question: "Why are they acting this way?” When a child yells, withdraws, refuses directions, or melts down, the behavior can feel confusing or even overwhelming. It is easy to focus on stopping the behavior itself. But what if behavior is not simply something to control? What if behavior is communication ? This is the foundation of Dr. Vicki...

We do not arrive in the world with a fully formed sense of self. We discover who we are through the people who respond to us. From infancy forward, relationships teach us what to expect from others and what to believe about ourselves. Before children can articulate identity, they are already absorbing it. They are watching faces, listening to tone, sensing regulation or dysregulation, and drawing conclusions. Am I safe? Am I wanted? Do my emotions overwhelm the people around me? These early...

In a culture that celebrates achievement, optimization, and curated parenting moments, it’s easy to believe that being a “good parent” means getting it right all the time. But children are not shaped by perfection. They are shaped by presence. Perfection asks, “Did I handle that correctly?”   Presence asks, “Was I emotionally available?” And those are not the same thing. 1. Children Feel Regulation Before They Understand Words Long before children can process logic or explanations, they are...