Ginger Healy, LCSW, is a clinical social worker, author, and nationally recognized speaker with over 25 years of experience in trauma, attachment, and emotional regulation. Her career has included work as a child abuse investigator, hospital social worker, school therapist, and 15 years as a social service supervisor at an international adoption agency. These experiences have shaped her deep understanding of developmental trauma, attachment, neurodivergence, and the power of safe, connected relationships.
Today, Ginger serves as Director of Programs at the Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN), co-hosts the Regulated & Relational podcast, and is the author of several books. She travels nationally, equipping educators, caregivers, and professionals with practical, brain-based, nervous system-informed strategies that foster regulation, resilience, and connection.
As a mother of four neurodivergent children, Ginger brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work. She is passionate about helping educators and caregivers look beyond behavior, honor individual differences, and foster safe, connected environments that heal all things human.
What if understanding the nervous system could change the way we respond to challenging behavior? Ginger makes neuroscience accessible and engaging as she explores how stress and dysregulation influence behavior, relationships, and learning. Participants will discover why adult regulation matters, how co-regulation builds a child’s capacity for self-regulation, and why regulation doesn’t always mean calm. This highly practical session fills educators’ toolboxes with easy-to-implement strategies, including sensory support, Re-Set Spaces, and connection-based interventions that help soothe the nervous system and expand students’ capacity to engage, connect, and learn.
What does it really mean to be a trauma-sensitive school, and how do we move beyond awareness into meaningful action? Ginger explores how childhood adversity and developmental trauma impact the developing brain, behavior, relationships, and learning. Participants will learn to recognize trauma responses, understand the needs underlying challenging behaviors, and reconsider traditional approaches to discipline and behavior management. This session focuses on practical ways to build felt safety, strengthen school culture, and create supportive learning environments where students experience connection, belonging, and opportunities for success.
Ginger challenges deficit-based thinking and invites educators to see neurological differences through a neurodiversity-affirming lens. Participants will explore how differences in sensory processing, executive functioning, communication, and nervous system regulation shape students’ experiences in the classroom. Ginger offers practical strategies for recognizing unmet needs, honoring student voice and autonomy, adapting expectations and environments, and moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. This session empowers educators to better understand and nurture the students in front of them, creating classrooms where every brain belongs.
The brain is shaped by experiences, relationships, and environments, and it has a remarkable capacity to change. Ginger brings the science of neuroplasticity to life, exploring how adversity affects brain development and how positive experiences can strengthen neural pathways that support learning, emotional regulation, and resilience. Participants will gain an accessible understanding of brain development, stress responses, and the protective power of relationships. Through relatable examples and evidence-informed practices, educators will discover how everyday interactions can help nurture resilience, support healing, and create opportunities for growth.
Some of the students who need connection the most are also the hardest to reach. Ginger explores the science of attachment and attunement, helping educators understand why students who have experienced adversity may struggle with trust, relationships, and accepting support. Participants will examine the ways challenging behaviors can activate adult triggers and learn how to respond with curiosity rather than taking behaviors personally. Through practical, relationship-centered strategies, educators will discover how to connect with students who appear withdrawn, defensive, or resistant, building the trust and emotional safety that make engagement and learning possible.
This session is for the “givers,” those who continually show up for others, often while managing overwhelming demands of their own. Ginger explores the science of stress and anxiety, including the differences between positive, tolerable, and toxic stress, and how chronic stress affects our nervous systems, relationships, and well-being. Drawing from research on stress cycle completion, self-compassion, and resilience, participants will learn practical ways to manage stress, recognize the warning signs of burnout, and expand their capacity to navigate life’s challenges. Moving beyond traditional self-care, Ginger also explores the importance of community care and creating workplaces where the adults doing the caring feel supported, connected, and valued.
