Research Librarian Joins the NCCTS/NRC Staff This summer, National Center for Child Traumatic Stress's National Resource Center welcomed a new staff member based not in North Carolina or California but in Vermont. Cybele Merrick joined the NRC as a research associate, working at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in White River Junction. "Since I'm based at the National Center for PTSD," Cybele notes, "I can draw on the intellectual and human resources here to meet many of the information needs of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network." A librarian by training, Cybele spends part of her week indexing documents for PILOTS, the database of traumatic stress literature that the National Center for PTSD has produced for almost 20 years. "It feels good to contribute to a resource that is used by researchers around the world," Cybele says, "but it's the work that I do for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network that is the most rewarding to me. For example, I've worked with a subcommittee put together by Susan Ko to expand the Spanish-language resources available to NCTSNet.org. I'm also upgrading the bibliographies currently available on the website by writing abstracts that will be accessible to wide audience." Collaborative groups, working groups, and Network members that need research assistance can request Cybele's services through their liaisons. "So much of the value of the Network lies in the ability of members to contact fellow researchers and practitioners,” she says. “I can complement those personal interactions by drawing on the published literature in various fields to answer reference questions or provide research in traumatic stress, child welfare, juvenile justice, and education." NCTSN In the News The NRC has launched a new listserv for individuals within the NCTSN who are involved with the media. Through the listserv we can reach out to NCTSN peers to ask for help and share ideas. If you would like to be on this listserv and are not, please e-mail the NCTSN media consultant, Patrick Cody.The NRC also has compiled a report of NCTSN media in FY'04. For a copy of the report, please e-mail Patrick. The following is a compilation of recent mentions of NCTSN in the news. NCTSN local impact The Albany Times Union publishes a story about how the Parsons Center, mentioned as a member of the NCTSN, helps a boy named Alex, October 7. The Washington Post Magazine runs a profile of a trauma and grief counselor with the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, October 10. The Ft. Pierce Tribune (Florida) publishes the article “Kids Ease Back Into Routines,” about hurricane recovery, quoting Ann Kelley of the NCTSN about young children, October 16. The Kansas City infoZine publishes the article “Children Who Suffer Trauma Face an Array of Problems,” quoting Wendy Silverman of the NCTSN about resilience and risk, November 20. The Orlando Sentinel quotes Robert Franks, director of the NRC, in a story about how a mother's death impacts her child, November 23. Collaborative Projects The fall issue of StressPoints, ISTSS's newsletter, publishes an article about the NCTSN Accelerated Collaborative Projects by Nancy Kassam Adams. Mental Health Weekly runs an article about the new Pediatric Medical Trauma Toolkit, November 8. Juvenile Justice US News and World Report publishes a letter from NCCTS co-director John Fairbank about the prevalence of child traumatic stress among the juvenile justice population, October 4. The Asheville Citizen-Times (NC) publishes a Thanksgiving story on juvenile justice, quoting Chris Siegfried of the NCCTS about child traumatic stress, children's behavior, and the need to emphasize treatment in system reform. Schools The November 3 California Educator publishes the story, “Educators Learn to Help Kids Develop Coping Techniques,” quoting Marleen Wong of the NCCTS School Crisis and Intervention Unit. Parental Illness The Washington Post, in the story “Helping Kids Cope In Parent's Illness,” quotes John Fairbank, NCCTS co-director, about talking with children about illness, November 8.

Grants for Violence-Related Injury Prevention Research The CDC and the US Department of Health and Human Services recently posted several grant opportunities for violence-related injury prevention research, particularly in the areas of youth violence, suicidal behavior, child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence. Find more information on HHS's Federal Funding Opportunities webpage. NRC Continues to Call for NCTSN Assistance in Building the National Library and Website The NRC is continuing the important process of collecting materials for the NCTSN’s National Library and website. To achieve this goal, the NRC requests that any relevant resources from NCTSN centers relating to the topic of child traumatic stress be sent to the NRC librarian as soon as possible. Materials to be submitted include, but are not limited to, journal articles, book chapters, guides, manuals, training curricula, white papers, videos, DVDs, etc. Please send materials to: Robert James, Interim Librarian National Resource Center National Center for Child Traumatic Stress Duke University School of Medicine 905 West Main Street, Suite 23-D Durham, NC 27701 Phone: 919-660-1157 Fax: 919-681-7599 Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Training Workshop, January 24-28, 2005, Gainesville , FL. The Child Study Lab at the University of Florida will hold a Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Training Workshop on January 24-28, 2005. PCIT is an empirically supported treatment for young conduct disordered children and was named by the Kauffman's Best Practice Project as one of three "best practices" for treating child abuse. Registration for this workshop is now available on-line. Please visit the workshop's website to learn more about the event and to register. NCAC to Host 21st National Symposium on Child Abuse, March 8-11, 2005, Huntsville, AL The National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, AL, will hold its annual conference, the 21st Symposium on Child Abuse, "Making A Difference," March 8-11, 2005 in Huntsville. More than 150 workshops will be held, with tracks for professionals working in the fields of mental health, law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, and medicine. NCTSN presenters include James Henry and Rebecca Gaba on two of the NCTSN's accelerated projects, as well as Charles Wilson and Ben Saunders on dissemination of best practices. John Fairbank, co-director of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, will serve as a keynote speaker. Other keynotes include Walter Anderson, chairman and CEO of Parade Publications; Deborah Daniels, assistant US attorney general (invited); and Congressman Robert E. "Bud" Cramer (invited). The entire symposium registration brochure can be viewed by visiting the National Children's Advocacy Center 's website.

Alicia F. Lieberman and Patricia Van Horn, Don't Hit My Mommy! A Manual for Child-Parent Psychotherapy with Young Witnesses of Family Violence ( Washington, DC: Zero to Three Press, 2005).
The treatment manual for the Child Parent Psychotherapy model is now available for purchase directly from Zero to Three or from Amazon.com. Drs. Lieberman and Van Horn are with the Child Trauma Research Project at the University of California at San Francisco. The project is part the NCTSN's Early Trauma Treatment Network, a collaboration that also includes the Child Violence Exposure Program at Louisiana State University, the Child Witness to Violence Program at Boston Medical Center, and the Tulane University Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority Infant Team.

David H. Barlow "Psychological Treatments," American Psychologist 59, no. 9 (2004): 869-78.
This article by David Barlow of the Center for Adolescent Traumatic Stress and Substance Abuse Treatment (Massachuesetts) makes the case for using the principles of evidence-based medicine to guide the treatment of psychological disorders.

In recent years, new medical knowledge that challenges long-standing practice has been disseminated very quickly. The discovery of the cardiovascular risks of hormone replacement therapy for menopause, for example, has resulted in a decline in prescriptions for estrogen. A double-blind trial comparing debridement, lavage, and sham surgery for knee pain has forced a reevaluation of the use of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee. While these and other research results have been widely disseminated in the media and influenced practice quite rapidly, effective, rigorously tested, targeted psychological treatments are not reaching patients as quickly as they might. The same journals that published the research on hormone treatment and arthroscopic surgery have also published trials on treatments for insomnia, panic disorder, and depression, among others, to little fanfare.

Dr. Barlow identifies many reasons why the dissemination and adaptation of tested psychological treatments has been hampered but also discusses efforts to redress the problem. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network is highlighted as a mechanism through which effective treatments for child traumatic stress may be devised, studied, and adopted. The Network's tiered system—whereby some centers focus on intervention, development, and evaluation, while others specialize in community treatment and service—marries research and practice, providing evidence-based psychological treatment to children and families.

Andrew Balluffi, Nancy Kassam-Adams, Anne Kazak, Michelle Tucker, Troy Dominguez, and Mark Helfaer, "Traumatic Stress in Parents of Children Admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit," Pediatric Critical Care Medicine 5, no. 6 (2004): 547-53.

Trauma Language Included in the Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (H.R. 1350) was signed into law on December 3, 2004, by President George W. Bush. Trauma language was included in this new law, raising the visibility of the important relationship between disability and trauma. Staff from the office of Senator Edward Kennedy worked tirelessly to ensure that young children exposed to family violence could receive early intervention services through the IDEA bill. This change is a significant breakthrough in efforts to help children who suffer from early exposure to trauma and are vulnerable to long-term and disabling consequences.

As the bill was being finalized during the past several months, many NCTSN members responded to requests from policy makers for information related to disability, early intervention programs, family violence, and trauma in young children. Ellen Gerrity, associate director and senior policy advisor for the National Center, coordinated these efforts, with the collaboration of NCCTS co-director John Fairbank and NCTSN members Margaret Charlton and her colleagues at the Colorado sites, Marleen Wong, Bill Saltzman, Alicia Lieberman, Rick Van Den Pol, and staff from the mid-Maine Child Trauma site. The NCTSN is grateful to Senator Kennedy and Bill and David Harris for their leadership and their unwavering efforts to insist that our country put children first.

Next Steps: The Network has the opportunity now to assist with the implementation of new IDEA regulations related to trauma. NCTSN members are establishing an IDEA Task Force to ensure that young children who have been exposed to trauma receive the best possible opportunity for recovery through this new legislation. If you are interested in joining this task force, please contact Ellen Gerrity.

NCTSN Co-Sponsors Pre-Meeting Institute on Children at SAMHSA “Dare to Act” Conference on Family Violence, November 30, 2004
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network co-sponsored the institute “Children Affected by Family Violence” on November 30, 2004, in Baltimore, Maryland. The institute was a pre-meeting of the “Dare to Act” Conference on Family Violence, sponsored by the National Trauma Consortium and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Dr. Sandra Kaplan of the North Shore University Hospital was the keynote luncheon speaker for the institute. She focused her remarks on the impact of domestic violence on children. Dr. Kaplan was introduced by Dr. Ellen Gerrity, senior policy advisor of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.

Several other NCTSN members also participated in the conference. Dr. Betsy McAlister Groves, of the Boston Child Witness to Violence Program, and Dr. Sandra Bloom, of the Jewish Board of Children and Family Services, participated in a panel on intervention programs with children. Other NCTSN sites were represented by Phoebe Soares, from the Boston National Collaborative for Homeless Children and Trauma; Julian Ford, from the University of Connecticut Childhood Violent Trauma Program; and Dennis Hunt, from the Falls Church, Virginia, Center for Multicultural Human Services. The NCTSN booth was exhibited and materials were distributed to conference participants throughout the week.

At a press conference conducted at the meeting, Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA, reported new findings from the Women, Co-occurring Disorders and Violence Study. Ms. Power reported that women with mental and substance abuse disorders, as well as histories of trauma, can improve when treated with counseling that addresses all three of their service needs. Women who have a voice in their own treatment report better outcomes than women who do not. Researchers also reported that treatment improved both the women's ability to mother their children and the children's well-being.

Dr. Gerrity, who coordinated the participation of the NCTSN with the SAMHSA-sponsored conference, said, “This joint partnership of the NCTSN with the National Trauma Consortium and SAMHSA is an example of the many collaborations between the Network and other external organizations serving children. The NCTSN and the National Trauma Consortium have many priorities and areas of work that overlap. We hope that this conference marks the beginning of many joint endeavors.”

NCTSN and the Institute of Rural Health, Idaho State University , Work with the Sidran Institute on Collaborative Child Trauma Project
The Sidran Institute has joined with NCTSN and the Institute of Rural Health, Idaho State University , in a national project to enhance rural mental health care for child trauma. Sidran is a national nonprofit organization that helps people understand, recover from and treat traumatic stress and related conditions. Through its Trauma HelpDesk Service, Sidran will provide information about treatment resources and educational materials, at no charge to trauma survivors, family members, and mental health providers in rural areas.

This collaborative effort, to begin in early 2005, will utilize Sidran's trauma resource specialists to meet the needs of each caller. The Helpdesk Services meet survivors and family members “where they are” in their process to answer their questions and help them organize strategies for pursuing appropriate trauma care. Many of the traumatized individuals who reach out to Sidran for support resources are seeking therapists in their community who understand their issues and who can treat trauma knowledgeably. Typically, Sidran responds to approximately 300 calls/emails each month and has handled as many as 4,500 contacts annually in recent years.

The Institute of Rural Health at Idaho State University is spearheading this outreach effort to rural people in conjunction with NCTSN and Sidran. According to Phillip Massad, PhD, of the Institute of Rural Health , “to accomplish this mission, we need your involvement . If you are a therapist, we ask that you provide us with information about yourself so that we can make referrals that are individualized and appropriate. This is a great way to build your practice or keep your treatment program slots filled.

“Please visit the Sidran Web site at www.sidran.org, click on the button for Therapist Data Submission, and fill in the form for your practice. If you work in a treatment center that has a trauma specialty, the Resource Database button will direct you to a form for that information.

“It is important to know what you don't do as well as what services you do provide. You are encouraged to write a personal statement for individuals who are seeking treatment about your treatment philosophy, approaches used and anything about yourself that prospective clients/patients might find helpful in deciding on a provider. Please include your e-mail address, which is needed in order to correspond with you about the information you provide. Your e-mail address will not be shared with prospective clients unless you specify that you want the address made public. If the nature, location or focus of your practice should change, you can update your listing at any time by e-mailing resources@sidran.org.”

Questions, comments, and concerns about therapist and resource listings should be directed to Database Resource Manager, 410-825-8888 or resources@sidran.org . Survivors, family members and clinicians whose clients/patients are relocating can contact the HelpDesk by visiting www.sidran.org, calling the phone number above, or writing to help@sidran.org. Questions about this collaborative project can be directed to Dr. Massad, Institute of Rural Health, Idaho State University, at 208-282-6455.

NCTSN Members Share Knowledge of Child Abuse and Interventions at Syrian Conference
Barbara Bonner of the Indian Country Child Trauma Center in Oklahoma City, OK, and Ben Saunders of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center in Charleston, SC, recently were invited to participate in the first National Symposium on Child Protection in Damascus, Syria, December 9-11, 2004. The symposium was sponsored by the Rainbow for a Better Childhood, a nongovernmental organization under the patronage of the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs and sponsored by UNICEF-Damascus office, ISPCAN (the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect), and the Modern Psychiatric Hospital of Damascus.

The conference goals were to define child rights in Syria, identify current services for reporting and managing CAN cases in Syria, design a reporting form for CAN cases, and develop a multidisciplinary cooperation system and a Syrian national child protection plan. Dr. Bonner gave presentations on an overview of child abuse and forensic interviewing, and Dr. Saunders spoke on evidence-based guidelines for mental health treatment of abused children and on program evaluation. Mrs. Asma al-Assad, first lady of Syria, attended sessions by both Bonner and Saunders. In addition to the training workshops, Bonner and Saunders provided clinical, training, and program consultation to a variety of participants from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.

“Professionals from the Arab nations have been working closely with ISPCAN to raise public and professional awareness about child abuse and neglect and to design systems to protect children in their countries,” said Dr. Bonner. “We have been impressed with the response to this sensitive issue from professionals and officials in the government. I think that we will see excellent progress in child protection in the Arab nations in the next few years as they are moving rapidly to implement legislation and establish programs for investigation and treatment.”

Dr. Saunders stated, “It was one of the most inspiring and professionally challenging experiences I have ever had. A multidisciplinary group of very dedicated professionals are trying to create an effective, evidence-based child protection and intervention system where none has existed. I think some of the work being done within the NCTSN on implementation of evidence-based practices can be adapted to this cultural experience.”

News from the Judicial Education Working Group
The members of the Judicial Education Work Group (JEWG) invite new members to join them for their monthly conference calls and their luncheon work group meeting on Friday, March 4, at the ANM (All Network Meeting). The group is developing a collaboration with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and welcome new members and new ideas from throughout the Network. The first monthly conference call is sch edu led for January 5 at 2PM EST, and the group will set a fixed date for subsequent monthly calls at that time.

For further information about the JEWG, contact co-chairs Erna Olafson and/or Joy Osofsky.

Beth Stamm Receives Public Advocacy Award
Beth Stamm, principal investigator at NCTSN member Center for Rural, Frontier and Tribal Child Traumatic Stress Intervention (CRFTCTSI) at Idaho State University, received the Public Advocacy Award from the International Society for the Traumatic Stress Studies. The society's annual meeting, at which the award was presented, was held this November in New Orleans. The award is given "for outstanding and fundamental contributions to advancing the social understanding of trauma." It recognizes Dr. Stamm's work in research, teaching, and service pertaining to helping establish the subfields of secondary traumatic stress and cultural trauma. The Network offers its congratulations!

Oklahoma NCTSN Sites and State Authorities Meet to Plan Trauma Training and Evidence-Based Practice Adoption
The three Network centers funded in Oklahoma met together in November with representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to discuss trauma training and adoption of evidence-based practices at the state level. Their goal is to raise the standard of care received by traumatized children and their families throughout Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State Legislature has appropriated $500,000 to provide trauma counseling for children participating in 10 domestic-violence service programs in the state. NCTSN members discussed ways to get training on trauma assessment and evidence-based practices to these domestic violence programs and to the local child abuse programs who will provide trauma counseling services for the children. One of the centers that received funding is the Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc., in Tulsa. This center is part of the Tulsa 's Oklahoma Child Traumatic Stress Treatment Collaborative.

Along with members of the collaborative in Tulsa, professionals from the Indian Country Child Trauma Center in Oklahoma City, the NCTSN's Terrorism and Disaster Branch, and Chris Siegfried from the National Center attended the meeting.