Trauma Systems Therapy

TST Updates October 13, 2009

We haven’t posted a ‘case-of-the-week’ or other information here in awhile. The summer’s over and its time to get back to work! It has been a busy few months for TST programs. Highlights have included:

1. The TST Development Team, with input from many others, has completed revisions of our Evaluation and Training packages. I’m very happy with the improvements that have been made and I think it will make our program more accessible and effective.

 2. Earlier this month we conducted a large training for programs in Boston who are integrating Trauma Systems Therapy into the services provided by their agencies. Organizations represented included Martha Elliott Health Center, the Alliance for Inclusion and Prevention, the Latin American Health Institute, the Frederick Middle School, Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnership, Family Services of Greater Boston, Shriners Burns Hospitals, and special outside guest Sharon Hirsch from University of Chicago Comer Hospital. Its great to see so many programs inside (and outside) Boston using TST.

3. A couple of weeks ago we conducted a large training for our newest TST project centered at Hillside Family of Services in Rochester, NY. This exciting program integrates mental health and child welfare services in two counties, Monroe and Yates, around Rochester. Maria Cristalli the leader of this program has done a terrific job assembling two TST teams with key strategic partners in the county. Their organizational plan and Balanced Scorecard evaluation approach could be a model for other programs. This program also has a key partnership with University of Buffalo who will lead a randomized clinical trial on TST.

4. Programs that included Trauma Systems Therapy did quite well in the recent round of SAMHSA/National Child Traumatic Stress Network funding. Importantly, two new Category II Treatment and Service Adaptation Centers featured TST. These respective awards went to two longstanding TST trainers, researchers, and program leaders. Liza Suarez from the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the leader of the TST Adaptation for substance Abuse, won a grant to develop and implement interventions, including TST for the complex needs of inner city children. Bob Abramovitz at Hunter College School of Social Work and colleague Ginny Strand at Fordham University School of Social Service won the grant to develop The National Center for Social Work Trauma Education and Workforce Development. Bob established the TST Foster Care Service Project (FCSP) in New York City  and is taking the lead with former colleague Mary Dino from the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services to develop the adaptation of TST for child welfare/foster care. Mary, as most people know now leads the FCSP.

5. Please see our new featured TST program called Project Nexis from Ulster County, New York. This incredibly innovative program lead by Susan Hansen of the Ulster County Department of Mental Health is the first and longest standing TST dissemination program. The Nexis program is unique in mental health/child welfare collaborations as its core is the twinning of a mental health clinician and a child welfare worker to provide care to children who receive prevention services in their county DSS office. Project Nexis has been in business for over five years and has really changed the culture of mental health/child welfare collaboration in their county.

I guess a lot has happened since we last posted…