When children avoid tasks, resist trying, or seem unmotivated, it’s easy to label the behavior as laziness or defiance. This training looks beneath the surface to explain how intrinsic motivation is meant to develop—and how trauma, chronic stress, and external rewards can disrupt that process, leading to power struggles, skill gaps, and discouragement.
Using clear, accessible science, practical activities, and real‑life examples, participants gain insight into why traditional approaches often fail when trauma is involved and what helps instead. Caregivers and professionals leave with practical tools to align expectations with children’s developmental and nervous system needs, reduce conflict, support skill‑building, and help children re‑engage, persist, and succeed over time.
• Describe how trauma disrupts motivation and executive functioning.
• Reframe labels and behavior like “lazy” through a trauma‑informed lens.
• Apply trauma-informed tools that restore access to motivation.
• Identify regulation/co‑regulation as prerequisites
This program as been
for Social Workers, Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Art therapists
This program has been approved for 1 Continuing Education hours for Social Work & Counselor CEU hours by the State of Ohio Counselor Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (Approved Provider number: 50-32634). Course Approval #20-1373398. To receive CEUs, follow the directions in the final lesson of the online course.
Not in Ohio or an Ohio Nurse? The certificate and hours you receive are usually approved or accepted by many other licensing boards.
Foster-Adoptive Parents: Our trainers are all licensed professionals. and in most cases are approved trainers for Ohio (OCWTP) and/or San Diego (SD-FAKCE). Foster Parents Toolshop has more, newer, and less costly (usually free) webinars then FosterParentCollege! Agency passes are available; ask your agency to inquire.
Please send a link to this page to your licensing board or caseworker to verify if they accept these Ohio State CEUs.
Presented by
Recipient of the Margaret E. Arcus Award for Outstanding Family Life Educator for 2024-25
Jody Johnston Pawel is a Licensed Social Worker, Certified Family Life Educator, Certified Trauma Support Specialist, Certified World Class Speaker Coach, is one of the first Certified Family Life Coaches to qualify at the Expert Level, and received the 2024-25 Margaret E. Arcus Award for Outstanding Family Life Educator by the National Council on Family Relations. She is also the author of the award-winning book The Parent’s Toolshop® and over 100 research-based parenting curricula, programs, and resources. She’s a top-rated speaker who has trained over 100,000 parents and professionals and has certified over 100 Parent’s Toolshop® trainers and coaches worldwide. She serves as a parenting expert to the media, with 300+ media appearances, and was the Assistant Producer and On-air Parenting Expert of the Emmy-nominated Ident-a-Kid television series. Connect with her online on social media or use the “contact” pages at any of her websites or this e-library