Roughly two-thirds of children experience common, stressful events before age 18, according to Northwestern University – Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Common "normal" trauma issues encountered growing up include parental divorce ● emotional neglect or abuse ● physical neglect or abuse ● household dysfunction ● bullying ● loss of a loved one, among others.
Childhood trauma causes children to believe lies about who they are, altering their behavior. And worse, trauma is linked to chronic health problems in adulthood.
Overcoming false identities later in life is not just intellectual, i.e., saying “that’s not true”, but experiential: a gradual updating of the nervous system with new evidence that contradicts those earlier conclusions.
Our mentoring program provides supportive relationships of caring adults to help young people overcome the long-term effects of trauma.
We ignite the spark in young people to live fulfilled lives by discovering their created purpose, guiding them to forge unbreakable moral character and leadership skills through timeless values like humility, gratitude, responsibility, forgiveness, motives, empathy, and servant leadership, while offering compassionate counseling to mend broken hearts and unleash limitless potential.
In our mentoring program, these young people embark on a journey that helps them to understand and embrace their true identity, enabling them to be productive members of society.
Brookside Emotional Intelligence Institute provides a mentoring program that helps young people recognize who they were created to be and guides them through a process to build character, which enables them to overcome the false identity and utilize their strengths to achieve great purpose in their lives.
The Situation
Many young people today live with a false identity, believing lies about who they are. Lies such as, “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not lovable”, or “My needs don’t matter” develop as a child grows up experiencing negative influences of parents, other adults and peers. These “normal” childhood trauma, or sometimes more significant traumas, lead to lead to accepting a false identity that impedes their ability to live a happy, productive life.
The Problem
Trauma during childhood, “normal” or more significant trauma, can hinder brain development and lead to emotional dysregulation, trust issues, and difficulties with relationships in adulthood. And worse, trauma is linked to chronic health problems in adulthood.
Trauma reshapes internal narratives—often outside of conscious awareness. These “lies” aren’t random; they’re adaptive conclusions the brain forms to maintain safety, predictability, or belonging in environments that felt unsafe or unstable. Over time, they solidify into false identity-level beliefs. And these lies can negatively affect how they interact with others.
Can the effects of trauma be alleviated?
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the answer is YES! They say that supportive relationships with caring adults help children build resilience and mitigate the long-term effects of trauma.
Our mentoring program provides supportive relationships of caring adults to help young people overcome the long-term effects of trauma.
Organization name
Brookside Emotional Intelligence Institute
other names
Brookside Emotional Intelligence Institute
2009
Tax id (EIN)
26-4389391
Category
Youth Development, Human Services, Mental Health & Crisis Intervention, Education
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
19445 Legend AveDenver, CO, US,