January/February 2006

NCTSN Briefs Congress
on Culture and Trauma

On November 16, 2005 the American Psychological Association (APA) sponsored a congressional briefing, "Ethnic Minority Children Experiencing Traumatic Events: Promoting Mental Health and Resilience," at the request of Rep. Michael Honda (CA).  Thanks to the efforts of NCTSN member Dee Bigfoot and colleagues at the APA, the NCTSN was asked to participate on the panel. 

Barbara Bonner, director of the Indian Country Child Trauma Center, and Alicia Lieberman, director of the Child Trauma Research Project and the Early Trauma Treatment Network (ETTN), represented the NCTSN on the panel. Both did a wonderful job of describing the impact of trauma on American Indian and ethnic minority children, as well as the effect of specific traumatic events, including Hurricane Katrina and community violence.  The NCTSN speakers contributed a critically important dimension to the discussion of ethnicity and child mental health. 

At the briefing, materials about the Network as well as a special "Culture and Trauma Brief " developed specifically for the event were distributed.  The briefing was attended by approximately 70 participants, including congressional staff, members of advocacy organizations, and others interested in child mental health.  A videotaped version of the event is now available at www.NCTSN.org.

The NCTSN has forged a strong relationship with the APA, and this briefing represents just one of its many collaborations. APA colleagues have indicated an interest in including NCTSN members, particularly psychologists, as part the APA's ongoing educational efforts related to

the consequences of trauma, through media events, briefings, hearings, educational meetings with policy makers and other policy related activities. If you are interested in helping advance the NCTSN mission of raising public awareness about child trauma by participating in similar activities, please contact EllenGerrity, NCCTS associate director, at egerrity@psych.duhs.duke.edu. For information about the NCTSN Culture Consortium, or to join the NCTSN Culture listserv, please email Susan Ko, Service Systems Core director, at sko@mednet.ucla.edu

Materials Help Law Enforcement
Respond to Domestic Violence Calls

The NCTSN has developed an educational video and accompanying print materials to help law enforcement officers understand children’s reactions to domestic violence, and what they can do to lessen the traumatic impact on children’s lives.  An NCTSN workgroup of experts, in conjunction with police departments in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Nashville and New Haven, produced the materials.
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Jones Represents NCTSN at
Congressional Briefing on Hurricane

NCTSN member, Russell Jones, was invited by the National Mental Health Association (at the recommendation of SAMHSA), to speak at “Public Health 101: The Public Health Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita:  Applying Lessons Learned,” a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, November 19, 2006. 
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