2026 Session #7: The Resilient Roots Project: Teaching Emotional Regulation and Discipline with Dignity from Birth to 30ish - (A Trauma-Informed, Culturally Grounded Framework for Lifespan Emotional Resilience)
Presenter:
Dr. Carlian Dawson, Arizona Center for African American Resources (AZCAAR)
Synopsis:
The Resilient Roots Project is a trauma-informed, culturally grounded parenting and caregiver education framework designed to support emotional regulation, identity development, and healing across the lifespan from birth through early adulthood (“30ish”). Rooted in the lived experiences and cultural strengths of Black families, the program recognizes that emotional resilience is developed through relationships, cultural grounding, and consistent care across developmental stages.
Integrating the Neurosequential Model of Caregiving, Triple P, and the Nurturing Parenting Program, Resilient Roots emphasizes co-regulation before self-regulation and understands behavior as communication shaped by development, stress, trauma, and cultural context.
The framework is anchored in the 3Cs:
- Culture – Centering identity, ancestry, and lived experience as foundational protective factors.
- Connection (Science and Spirit) – Strengthening attuned relationships that integrate neuroscience, spirituality, and communal values.
- Care – Providing consistent, compassionate, and developmentally appropriate support that preserves dignity and emotional safety.
