Clinical Training

Trauma can be understood as any event that challenges the individual’s self-regulatory capacities and their safety within the social environment. Thus, the complexity of trauma entails children's and adolescents' exposure to multiple traumatic events, often of invasive, interpersonal nature, and the wide-ranging, long-term impact of this exposure. These events are severe and pervasive, such as abuse or profound neglect.

‘Understanding Trauma II: The Continuum of Care’ deepens the intervention with a greater emphasis on the process of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment within trauma-informed modalities. By providing strategies and techniques for both the participant (as part of the child/adolescent’s social environment) as well as a professional (Teacher, Social Worker, Guidance Officer, Etc.) there is also a strong emphasis on service integration towards forming the best possible response and support to the occurrence of trauma. Participants upon completion would be able to identify, assess, and intervene within their respective capacity (knowledge and expertise) as it relates to child/ adolescent and individual trauma and the myriad levels of complexity.

Psychological assessment is a process of gathering data that allows mental healthcare professionals to derive core components of a person’s psychological or mental health problems, education, personality, IQ, or some other component at their present functioning. Using psychometrically sound tests, usually administered and interpreted by trained psychologists or mental health practitioner, assessments help in identifying not only the challenges of a person but also their strengths.

Although Psychological assessments of children and adolescents are utilized by professionals when making case planning decisions, Kayser and Lyon (2000) underscore the challenges of fully utilizing assessments towards optimally implementing the analysis of the results. One of the critical issues is the sometimes-heavy use of clinical terms and jargon within assessments that can restrict a full understanding of the client’s challenges. Additionally, the bridge between these assessments and the everyday lives of the child/adolescent as well as their familial and community context requires a holistic approach in developing an effective treatment plan.

An additional challenge in Psychological assessments is that of cultural relevance where most tests have been designed utilizing North American and European populations. Thus interpretation, analysis, and treatment planning must consider the cultural context of the children and adolescents centered on normal developmental milestones as opposed to clinical issues.

The purpose of this programme is to equip participants with a fundamental understanding of assessments, its processes, and interpretation towards application in their respective spheres. It is a means by implementing a common model and language towards enhanced treatment planning for children, adolescents, and their families.

How do we assess traumatized children? Developing a foundation of ascertaining a child’s ability to regulate their emotional states in addition to understanding their social environment is fundamental to the process of Assessment and bringing together a system of care that provides a “goodness of fit”. This training primarily utilizes the Trauma Systems Therapy (TST) Assessment Grid. The TST Assessment Grid offers a clear approach to assessing the interface between a child’s self-regulation capacities and the social environment/system of care. This assessment approach leads to the approach of accurate and effective treatment planning. Utilizing the TST Assessment Grid, treatment planning involves a phase-oriented treatment in which each phase corresponds to various degrees of the child’s regulation capacities and the stability of the social environment. Upon completing training in the TST Assessment Grid, participants will be able to properly identify the emotional state and associated behavioral outcomes, developing pertinent responses, and critically providing follow up support.

In the nation’s schools, homes, and communities we are continuously learning of youth who continue to have major problems adjusting. For a very long time, our society has not been able to understand what has been happening to these youth, what might be causing them to behave the way they do, and/or respond the way they do to “normal situations”. Because of this misunderstanding, we have not been able to respond appropriately or put measures in place to mitigate the deterioration of our young people.

Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) in children and adolescents is a very frequent, under-diagnosed problem that disrupts the daily functioning of youth. TCHD’s training develops knowledge and skills in both preventative and reactive support through psych-education and child-focused therapy.

This training was developed in response to the urgent need to understand the multi-faceted emotional disorders youth may live with which result in disruptive behaviours.

Youth display many varying dysregulated behaviour/s due to a change in their emotional state. These involve complex patterns of feelings, thoughts, and behaviours that change together after a child/youth is stressed. As adults, we are seldom able to handle/manage life’s everyday stressors (financial, relationships, etc.) Notwithstanding that, however, we often demand that children and youth handle/manage theirs. If and when they don’t, they are then labeled and dealt with differently.
To fully understand this phenomenon this training program was developed to assist professionals and Paraprofessionals in gaining valuable information both theoretical and practical. A greater understanding of behaviour dysregulation and how there might be manifested in youth, as well as interventions, and strategies would be outlined.

Crisis has been described as a temporary state of upset and disorganization, characterized mainly by an individual’s inability to cope with a particular situation using customary methods of problem-solving, and by the potential for a radically positive or negative outcome. Crises, poorly managed in many schools, homes, and communities, have seen increased police involvement, hospitalizations, and court involvement.
To fully understand the crisis and its management, this training program was developed to assist professionals and Paraprofessionals in gaining valuable information both theoretically and practically. A greater understanding of managing crises, creating a crisis management plan and learning strategies to avoid crisis would be outlined.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a form of therapy that is based upon social constructionist philosophy. What is unique about this therapy is that it focuses on clients’ goals and ways to achieve them rather than on the problems that led them to therapy in the first place.

With other forms of therapy, a longer time would be needed for observable results to be noted. The advantage of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is that only a few sessions may be needed for clients to start achieving their goals as it focuses on client assets and not their deficits.

Anger is a universal experience. Dogs get angry, bees get angry, and so do humans. You don’t have to be a psychologist to know that managing anger productively is something few individuals, organizations, and societies do well. Yet research tells us that those who do manage their anger are much more successful than those who don’t. Nothing can be more frustrating than dealing with challenging individuals, individual anger, defiance, aggression, and violence.
Also, an individual must “set the tone” to manage effectively. In doing so it may be easy to become angry at others, and unfortunately, that anger can sabotage the care environment and create problems not only within one’s professional domain but personal well-being also. As such professionals and para-professionals can benefit greatly from learning a variety of strategies to managing anger effectively through understanding foremost the principles underlying anger and managing this powerful human emotion.

Solution-Based Casework (SBC) is an evidence-informed practice model for Casework Management in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice. The model provides a conceptual map for a family-centered practice from assessment through case closure. SBC is an approach to assessment, case planning, and case management that combines what we know from clinical social work with what we value about sound social work practices. Clinicians, caseworkers, social workers, children, and family representatives need to work more closely together on agreed-upon outcomes.
Lacking a common conceptual map is a significant barrier to improving their partnership with each other and with families. SBC has been shown to serve as a common conceptual framework for integrating disparate segments of a response network. This training provides for specific outcome skills necessary for relapse prevention and embraces family competency, all members of the therapeutic system (defined broadly) can work towards common goals.
SBC is grounded in family-centered social work and draws from clinical approaches within social work and mental health. We will combine the best of problem-focused, with solution-focused models, which evolved from family systems therapy (Berg, 1994; de Shazer, 1998). By integrating problem and solution-focused approaches from the clinical and social work traditions, treatment partnerships are more easily formed between family, worker, and service providers.

During times of crisis, we are quick to address “physical trauma”. We do not wait to call for help, and emergency medical personnel certainly do not wait to transport someone to the hospital before efforts are made to control bleeding. Unfortunately, a “hidden trauma” is often ignored. This trauma leaves the deepest scars and changes people forever— traumatic stress (Shelton and Lerner 2005). Traumatic stress is experienced by survivors of disasters and catastrophes. However, it does not have to take a highly publicized event to cause debilitating emotional scars.
Traumatic stress has many “faces” and is experienced every day during and in the aftermath of our tragedies (e.g., facing a serious illness, dealing with the loss of a loved one, experiencing an automobile accident, etc.). This training offers “practical tools” for addressing the wide spectrum of traumatic experiences—from mild to the most severe. It is a goal-directed process delivered within the framework of a facilitative or helping attitudinal climate. This aims to “jump-start” an individual’s coping and problem-solving abilities. It seeks to stabilize acute symptoms of traumatic stress and stimulate healthy, adaptive functioning. Field (Disaster) Traumatology - Field Trauma skills have been offered as long as there have been humans on this planet. This provision of comfort and counsel to those who have suffered the effects of natural and man-made critical incidents is the purpose of Field Traumatology. The practice of Field Trauma has focused on the prevention and minimization of posttraumatic stress and PTSD. This training will provide an overview of the skills and techniques utilized in Field Traumatology.

The core purpose of the Positive Youth Development Training is to equip those critical agents who are in a youth’s life with the knowledge and understanding of Positive Youth Development. With this understanding, participants will learn simple and effective ways to engage young people through a strength-based, empowerment approach.

The Positive Youth Development curriculum aims to provide an orientation to the youth development approach for professionals new to the field of youth work. While maintaining core concepts of positive youth developments that were promoted by the New York State Advancing Youth Development (AYD) curricula, this training includes new activities, resources, and research findings.

Positive youth development is a framework that guides communities in the way they organize services, opportunities, and supports so that young people can develop to their full potential. Positive youth development is not just another program. Communities that adopt a youth development approach emphasize these principles:

1. Focus on strengths and positive outcomes. Rather than taking a deficit-based approach, communities intentionally help young people build on their strengths and develop the competencies, values, and connections they need for life and work.
2. Youth voice and engagement. Youth are valued partners who have meaningful, decision-making roles in programs and communities.
3. Strategies that involve all youth. Communities support and engage all youth rather than focusing solely on "high-risk" or "gifted" youth. Communities do, however, recognize the need to identify and respond to specific problems faced by some youth (such as violence or premature parenthood).
4. Community involvement and collaboration. Positive youth development includes but reaches beyond programs; it promotes organizational change and collaboration for community change. All sectors have a role to play in making the community a great place to grow up.

Long-term commitment. Communities provide the ongoing, developmentally appropriate support young people need over the first 20 years of their lives.

The concept of counselling is one that has existed for a long time. Often individuals have sought throughout time to gain an understanding of self, offer counsel, develop our potential, and become more aware of opportunities in general to help oneself. Counselling is a learning-oriented process, which occurs usually in an interactive relationship to help an individual(s) learn more about themselves and to use such understanding to enable the person to become an effective member of society.
With significant changes to the economic and social landscape of society over the years, this has greatly impacted how we manage our lives. Consequently, effective counselling especially in institutions of learning has now become far more critical. Boys and girls, and young men and women need to be appropriately guided in the relationships between health and the environment, life skills, career setting, mental wellness, knowledge, and attitudes that lead to success and failure in life. The need for counselling has become paramount, particularly within school settings to promote the well-being of the child. Effective counselling should help to improve the self-image of the young person and facilitate the achievement of life tasks.
Therefore, adequately equipping professionals and paraprofessionals with an understanding of basic counselling skills and practices is imperative to the holistic success of the individuals they serve. This training is also designed for professionals and paraprofessionals who have a basic grasp of counselling skills and wish to apply these skills in a range of challenging environments through reinforcement of current skills and learning of new techniques.