Final Update on NCTSN All-Network Meeting Final arrangements are being made for the NCTSN All-Network Meeting, which begins officially on Thursday, March 3, 2005 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, in Alexandria, VA, and ends Suaturday, March 5. A number of NCTSN collaborative groups as well as the NCTSN Advisory Board will meet on Wednesday, March 2. The conference will open Wednesday evening with an informal Welcoming Reception at 7:00 p.m. More than 350 Network members and invited guests have already registered to attend, and last-minute registration forms continue to come in. A few highlights of the meeting include: Networking Fair: The Networking Fair will take place on Thursday afternoon, from 3:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Special guests have been invited from a number of federal agencies and national partner organizations, and background information packets will be provided to these guests as they register. A guide will be available to help guests—and Network members—navigate through the fair and identify NCTSN centers that share their interests and focus areas. Screening Room and Luncheon Discussions: Schedules for the NCTSN Screening Room and a listing of planned luncheon discussion topics for Thursday and Friday will be available on-site, at the registration desk. The Screening Room will feature Network-produced training and educational videos, including Accelerated Collaborative Projects. Informal luncheon discussions are being organized for Network members who are not participating in lunchtime collaborative group meetings and would like to network around topics of common interest. Live Streaming via the Internet: Several All-Network Meeting sessions (both plenaries and workshops) have been selected for live streamed video via the Internet, and others may added. Consult the NCTSN website for final listings and to log-in to the live streaming sessions. Featured topics featured include: Mental Health System Transformation Trauma in the Juvenile Justice System Trauma and Schools The Breakthrough Series Learning Collaborative Trauma in Rural Communities Child Traumatic Grief Cultural Competence in Trauma Treatment and Practice Trauma in Refugee Children Trauma Treatment for Children in Foster Care Steering Committee Breakfast: On Saturday morning, March 5, from 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. in the Plaza Ballroom East, Network members will have an opportunity to meet informally with their Steering Committee representatives, raise questions, discuss the direction of the Network, and suggest topics for the Steering Committee to address in future meetings. NRC Leadership Transition Dr. Bob Franks, director of the UCLA-Duke National Resource Center (NRC), will be leaving his position with the National Center and has accepted a new position as director of the Connecticut Center for Effective Practice. His last day will be March 25, 2005. The NRC will continue to provide support to NCTSN centers and collaborative work groups. A search for an interim director is underway, and the NRC staff continues to be available to assist you and respond to your requests. If you need assistance with a practical matter you can continue to contact your site liaison or call Tiffany Burke at the NRC directly. Any inquiries about the transition or other issues related to the NRC should be directed to John Fairbank, NCCTS co-director at Duke. In announcing his departure, Bob said, “I would like to express my gratitude, respect, and appreciation to all of the Network members with whom I have worked collaboratively during my time as NRC director. It has been my privilege to be part of the NCTSN. I take pride in knowing what the NRC and the Network have accomplished over the past two years. Many of the accelerated projects, website, and public awareness products and initiatives that the NRC has supported and developed are coming to fruition within the next year. I leave my position with confidence that the wonderful work of Network partners will continue as we work toward our common goals of helping children and families across the nation. I hope I have the opportunity to continue to work with many of you in years to come.” Bob's new position presents a wonderful personal and professional opportunity. The center he will be directing shares the goal of raising the standard of care and increasing evidence-based practices for children across the state of Connecticut. It is an independent institute linked to the University of Connecticut, Yale University, and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. In his new position, Bob will be eager to build on the work of the NCTSN and wishes to stay connected to his colleagues across the Network. After Bob's departure, you may reach him by email at rpf813@aol.com . NCTSN Responds to Indian Rim Tsunamis In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and the devastating tsunami, the National Center's Terrorism and Disaster Branch (TDB) activated the Rapid Response Support Team and sent out advisories to TDB liaisons at each of the Network Centers. Extensive contacts were made with Network Centers. Many had already undertaken steps to coordinate their involvement in relief efforts with federal, international, and local partners who were assisting in the immediate response. In addition to coordinating projects with the Network, the TDB initiated contacts with SAMHSA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for PTSD, American Psychological Association, American Red Cross, WHO, UNICEF, and the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Society (IFRC). The IFRC has distributed NCTSN "Understanding Child Traumatic Grief" materials to their psychosocial units operating in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Early in these efforts, professionals from various countries (e.g., Australia and Norway) contacted the TDB for assistance in developing programs and materials to help their citizens whose loved ones were missing or had died. In response to many media requests, TDB staff provided information to raise awareness of the psychological impact in the affected areas and to support psychosocial programs for recovery. The TDB, with the assistance of many experts across the Network, is producing materials for relief workers on the psychological impact of the tsunami; materials for teachers, parents, pediatricians, and clergy in the affected areas; and materials for those families across the United States who have been affected by the loss of loved ones. As the world responds to help those affected by the tsunami, this is also an important time for all families to review their preparedness plans for disasters that may affect their area. The TDB has prepared an information sheet for parents, including tips on how to talk with children about the tsunami and information about family preparedness. These materials are being produced with the collaboration of many experts from across the Network who have extensive experience in developing and implementing mental health recovery programs for children and families. The TDB, along with Network partners, has provided consultation and materials to local mental health professionals in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand. “It has been very gratifying to experience the dedication and commitment to collaboration of the Network in responding to this catastrophic disaster,” commented Alan Steinberg, associate director of the National Center. For more information and the latest materials as they are developed, please consult the NCTSN Website, www.NCTSNet.org. If your center has materials on this subject or is collaborating in programs in the affected areas, please contact Melissa Brymer. NCTSN and TDB Respond to the Tsunami: Media Relations Report Within 24 hours of the December 26, 2004, tsunami, which hit 12 nations in the Indian Rim, the Network's Terrorism and Disaster Branch (TDB) launched a proactive effort to educate the media and the public about the widespread child traumatic stress reactions that typically follow such large natural disasters. This response was based on a TDB media plan formalized in summer 2004. This plan establishes protocols for the TDB and the NCTSN's National Resource Center (NRC) to work with the media during and after emergencies. It identifies our experts (and lists their biographies) and outlines draft messages regarding terrorism, disasters, children, and child traumatic stress. Our first action was to develop a media advisory, which let members of the press know that the NCTSN and TDB have disaster response experts available for interviews. Issuance of this advisory on December 28 led to a number of immediate interviews, including CNN and CNN International interviews with NCCTS co-director Robert Pynoos and ABC News Now (digital cable and web) interviews with Alan Steinberg and Merritt Schreiber of the TDB. On December 29, we adapted the media advisory into a press release. This led to further interviews, including a January 10 article in US News and World Report (quoting Alan Steinberg). In addition, we identified the TDB as a resource for reporters in the Profnet media wire. Soon after, the New York Times called Robert Pynoos at UCLA for an interview. This excellent story, published January 4, on children and the psychological toll of the tsunami also included Alan Steinberg of the TDB and Rachel Yehuda of the NCTSN. The New York Times story was also published verbatim in the Spartanburg Herald Journal (SC) and the Wilmington Star News (NC) and other places online. Yehuda was also quoted in a story on intergenerational trauma published in the Washington Post The high-profile interview in the New York Times led to subsequent interviews with USA Today (quoting John Fairbank) and the Wall Street Journal. In addition, Robin Gurwitch of the NCTSN/TDB was interviewed about the tsunami for an article in the January 7 Duluth News Tribune and on Fox TV Channel 25 in Oklahoma City on January 11. In both interviews, she referenced the Network and provided www.NCTSNet.org as a resource. NCTSN-TDB experts at UCLA were quoted in UCLA Today and the UCLA Daily Bruin, reaching important internal audiences. Also, NRC media staff arranged interviews regarding children and the tsunami for New England Psychologist, among other publications. NCTSN/TDB messages were also posted on a variety of websites, including: ABC News US News and World Report USA Today New York Times Yahoo News American Psychological Association: Child Welfare League of America American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry UCLA K38 Water Safety Department of Human Services, Victoria, Australia For more information, contact Patrick Cody, NCTSN media consultant, by email or by phone at 202-965-0580.

NCTSN Training and Adoption Bulletin: A Forum for Updates and Feedback on Ongoing Activities Second Edition – Winter 2005 Newsletter We entered 2005 with vigor as we began to implement our ambitious plans for Network training and adoption activities. Though it was a challenge to assemble people toward the end of 2004, we made significant strides forward with training plans. Planning continues and action steps have begun on several fronts that we want to share with the Network. We have previously described the major concurrent training efforts we plan to implement. These include the Learning Collaboratives (including the large Breakthrough Series and the smaller scale Learning Collaboratives), and the Regional Training activities. Please consult your copy of the 2004-2005 NCTSN Training Plan for an expanded definition of any of these activities. Please use the following basic calendar to plan and be prepared for these activities coming down the pipeline. These dates are rough estimates and are subject to change. Major Milestones and Target Dates (subject to change) All Network Meeting Plenary and Workshop – Alexandria , VA, March 2-5, 2005 A plenary session on Friday, March 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., will provide an overview of the Breakthrough Series Learning Collaborative approach as an innovative and effective model for training, dissemination, and system change with discussion of how the model can be implemented in Network settings with a focus on adoption of trauma-focused practices. The session will be available via live streaming video that can be viewed on the NCTSN website. An ANM wrkshop will include discussion of site-level application of this model and address questions related to site involvement and participation. Learning Collaborative Informational Package, March 2005 Including: Description of Learning Collaboratives and application for involvement in Breakthough Series and smaller scale Learning Collaboratives. Expert Panel Meeting – Washington DC, Early April 2005 Approximately, 10 people to be identified based on identified topic area. One-day meeting. Learning Session One – Location TBD, Late May /Early June 2005 Larger face-to-face meeting and breakout groups. Two-day meeting. Learning Session Two – Location TBD, by end of September 2005 Larger face-to-face meeting and breakout groups. Two-day meeting. Learning Session Three – Location TBD, date TBD Larger face-to-face meeting and breakout groups. Two-day meeting. We plan to continue to update the Network on the above activities as they evolve through this Training and Adoption Bulletin. We hope to develop a system so that Network members may indicate their desire to participate in these activities and provide input and suggestions for future content topics and training events. In addition, we are developing an application for funding specific training activities that we plan to disseminate within the next month. This application will be to request funding to host a smaller scale Learning Collaborative or to support Regional Training activities. We plan to support approximately eight Single Practice smaller scale Learning Collaboratives over the coming year. Any questions or suggestions about this forum should be directed to Debbie Ling, project manager/Training and Adoption Bulletin coordinator, or to Cassie Kisiel, Training Core director. Opportunities Pipeline Please consult your 2004-2005 Training Activities Calendar for an at-a-glance look at upcoming training events and the content areas offered at each event. The Training Activities Calendar will be updated and distributed bi-monthly and is available on the NCTSN website. You may offer additions/corrections to this calendar at any time by e-mailing Debbie Ling. Training and Conference Highlights for March 2005 Please consult the continuously updated Events Calendar on the NCTSN website for more expanded information on these events. You may offer additions/corrections to this calendar at any time by e-mailing Iliane Morrissey. NCTSN All-Network Meeting: “Transforming Trauma Care for America 's Children and Families.” March 3-5, Alexandria , VA For more information visit the NCTSN website. Child Welfare League of America National Conference: "Children 2005: Crossing the Cultural Divide." March 9-11, Washington DC For more information visit the CWLA website All-Ohio Institute on Community Psychiatry: “Beyond Evidence: Trauma, Treatment, Recovery, and Resiliency, Addressing Needs of Children, Adolescents, and Adults." March 18 – 19, Cleveland , OH Network presenters (this is a preliminary list) include: Bob Pynoos - “Child and Adolescent Traumatic Stress: Scientific Growth and Developmental Remodeling” Judith Cohen - “Treating Traumatized Children” Steve Friedman -Facilitator of Panel Discussion Kris Buffington - TBA Frank Putnam - TBA Main ontact: Steve Friedman National Children's Advocacy Center 21st Symposium on Child Abuse: "Making A Difference." March 8 – 11, Huntsville, AL Over 150 workshops will be held, with tracks for professionals working in the fields of mental health, law enforcement, CPS, 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 U.S. attorney general and Congressman Robert E. "Bud" Cramer. The entire Symposium Registration Brochure can be viewed by visiting NCAC's website.

Young Children and Trauma: Intervention and Treatment
This new book edited by Joy Osofsky, will soon be available in paperback from Guilford Press. It presents state-of-the art knowledge and treatment approaches for working with very young children affected by trauma. Guidelines are provided for conducting effective assessments and intervening with vulnerable children and families in traditional mental health contexts and in pediatric, legal, and community settings. While it gives particular attention to the needs of children who have been neglected or abused, the book also addresses other forms of trauma, including illness, injury, exposure to domestic and community violence, and parental loss. Other contributors from the Network include Betsy McAlister Groves , Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Julie Larrieu, Alicia Lieberman, Patricia Van Horn, and Charles Zeanah.

The 9/11 Experience: Who's Listening to the Children?
By HS Koplewicz, M Cloitre, K Reyes, and LS Kessler (2004). Psychiatric Clinics of North
America, 27, 491-504.

Listening to Fear: Helping Kids Cope, from Nightmares to the Nightly News
S Marans (2005). Henry Holt & Company. ISBN: 0-8050-7604-2. $14.00. 272 pages.
Steven Marans is Harris Associate Professor of Child Psychoanalysis and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, where he is also the director of the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence. Drawing on his twenty-five years' experience in clinical practice, Marans guides parents through three important steps for helping children effectively overcome these worries.

More Data Arriving Day by Day!
Congratulations to all who have helped us reach our current goal!!! We now have approximately 350 cases in the INFORM (web-based) system and are currently piloting a data transfer process (thank you Depelchin Children's Center!). A special thanks to the staff of all those centers who have participated in data collection to date (21 centers tota) and to our “high-enrollers” (The Center for Medical and Refugee Trauma and Boston University in Boston, The Mental Health Center of Denver, The Center for Child and Family Health of North Carolina, Louisiana State University Health Science Center and Western Michigan University ). The National Center is very grateful for your continued work and efforts.

Other Good News
Many other centers are working on completing their regulatory requirements, establishing workflows, and being trained to use the INFORM system and will soon participate in data collection. We hope to have all of those centers on board entering data very soon. That would put us close to 30 centers entering data soon! All the rest of the centers are actively working on getting all of the necessary regulatory documents in place, with some centers expecting approvals very soon. More than 80 percentof participating centers (equaling about 160 staff across the Network) have been trained to use the INFORM System. We have also been contacted by centers outside of the Network who want to participate in data collection, and to date have one such center that is almost ready to start data entry Thank you all for making this possible. The Data Core looks forward to seeing you at the All-Network Meeting!

Rep. John E. Sweeney Honors Parsons Child and Family Center
Speech of Hon. John E. Sweeney of New York in the House of Representatives, Wednesday, January 26, 2005, from the Congressional Record:

"Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and honor an organization that has provided compassionate and dedicated service to children and families in New York for over 175 years. The Parsons Child and Family Center and their hardworking staff currently serve more than 7,000 children and their families, by providing residential and foster care services and by specializing in special education prevention and mental health services.

"The mission of the Parsons Child and Family Center has evolved over time. Starting as a foster home for destitute children, this organization's primary goal today is the preservation of families. It has become a treatment-oriented institution offering intensive, therapeutic services to emotionally disturbed children. The Parsons Child and Family Center recognizes the vital role that a family plays in the upbringing of our children, and it does all it can to prevent the need for foster care placement. After a period of rehabilitation, the Parsons Child and Family Center endeavors to return these children to their families and communities as soon as possible.

"The Parsons Center provides invaluable services to countless children and families across New York State, children in dire need of special care and assistance. The tireless and selfless work of organizations like the Parsons Child and Family Center constitutes the foundation of our nation's communities and embodies the true spirit of the United States. America's greatness is found in ordinary citizens performing extraordinary acts of kindness.

"The Parsons Child and Family Center is due recognition for their work with the American family. We should honor the devoted staff of this organization, not only for the lives they touch and the families they heal, but for the example they set for us all.

"I ask my fellow members of the House of Representatives to send our gratitude to the Parsons Child and Family Center for its most praiseworthy work."

Th Parsons Center is 175 years old this year.

En Español Updates
The En Español section of www.NCTSNet.org , which waslaunched in September 2004, has recently been expanded. In addition to the Spanish language versions of the Network publications and links originally posted on the site, the section now boasts a number of resources from Network member centers. DePelchin Children's Center, National Center for Children Exposed to Violence, and Safe Horizon have each contributed publications in Spanish to the website. Visitors to the En Español section can now also read “Quienes somos” ( “About us”) to learn about the Network's history, mission, and structure.

Does your center have publications in Spanish? Please send electronic versions, web links, or hard copies of material that you have developed to Cybele Merrick, research associate at the National Resource Center of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and the National Center for PTSD.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Is Now Live!
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Mental Health Association of New York City (MHA of NYC) officially announced the launch of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) and its accompanying Web site on December 31, 2004. Please visit the Newsroom at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Web site to view the announcement.

Materials from the National Institutes of Health's Symposium on the Personal and Social Cost of Traumatic Stress Now Available
"Traumatic Stress: Prevalence and Consequences," by NIH's Susan Solomon, and "At What Cost to Whom? Health Care and Other Costs Associated with Trauma Exposure and PTSD," by NCTSN member Elana Newman of the University of Tulsa, were presented at NIH's Behavioral and Social Sciences Seminar Series in January 2005. Slides from the presentations are now available at the NIH website.

Video Series: The Traumatized Child
A new videotape series on The Traumatized Child was released in 2004 by Calvalcade Productions, Inc. The videotapes feature therapist and NCTSN member Margaret Blaustein from the Trauma Center and others describing how repeated trauma can change the ways that children understand the world and interact with others, and how adults can respond most effectively. Professional observations are reinforced by the accounts of parents, teachers, and former foster children. This videotape series is useful for foster and adoptive parents, teachers, school counselors and psychologists, and other mental health professionals. It includes three tapes: Understanding the Traumatized Child, Parenting the Traumatized Child , and Teaching the Traumatized Child .

The Program Guide for the series includes two chapters from NCTSN member Richard Kagan's book, Rebuilding Attachments with Traumatized Children: Healing from Losses, Violence, Abuse and Neglect (Haworth Press, 2004). The guide also includes an annotated bibliography with sections on child development and trauma, parenting skills, curriculum materials, and websites.

Promising Strategies to Strengthen Tribal Families
On November 17, 2004, the US Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a series of reports on the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program. The reports reveal ways that greater state flexibility in federal funding could strengthen the abilities of tribal families to care for their children.

The reports also highlight promising practices tribes have adopted to meet unique challenges they face in managing services to strengthen tribal families, children, and youth. A major finding is that state flexibility in funding is critical in order for tribes to implement the best programs according to their unique history and circumstances.

Promising strategies to strengthen tribal families include:

• Developing collaborative teams to coordinate services across systems, such as courts, police, education, Head Start, and child protective services
• Developing collaborative relationships among tribes to pool resources and expertise
• Focusing on ways to promote positive youth activities within tribal families and communities
• Expanding service delivery to tribal families in remote regions

NCTSN - Child Welfare League of America Collaborative Teleconference Series, March - May
We wanted to make sure you are aware of an important training opportunity through our NCTSN-CWLA collaboration. CWLA is offering a trauma teleconference series to its entire membership. NCTSN members will be presenting every month through May on the developmental impact of trauma, how knowledge of child trauma can enhance child welfare practice in various settings such as schools and residential treatment centers, and understanding evidence-based child trauma interventions that can be used to treat child sexual abuse.

Upcoming sessions include the following:

Thursday, March 24, 2-3:30 p.m.
"Teaching Trauma Theory and Treatment to Staff and Children in Residential Treatment Centers" will be presented by David McCorkle from the Andrus Children's Center and Caroline Peacock from the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. The presentation will be based on the Sanctuary phase-based recovery model being used by these two NCTSN centers and make use of creative techniques such as music, art, and theater.

Thursday, April 21, 2-3:30 p.m.
Audra Langley from UCLA and Jennifer Wilgocki from Dane County, Wisconsin, will discuss the school-based model called CBITS (Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools). CBITS is a skills-based intervention for children exposed to community violence.

Thursday, May 19, 2-3:30 p.m.
Two models for treating child sexual abuse will be discussed: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Forensically Sensitive Therapy. Presenters are Amy Hoch-Espada ( New Jersey ), Connie Carnes (National Children's Advocacy Center), and Amy Shadoin (National CAC). Forensically Sensitive Therapy was created in response to the need for a therapy model that can be used effectively when criminal and civil court cases are actively pending.

To register for the trauma teleconference series, please visit the CWLA's website. We invite you to participate in this exciting collaboration. Please contact Susan Ko at or Chris Siegfried for more information.

Basic Clinical Practices: Treating Child Sexual Abuse Trauma: April 4 - 8, 2005, Huntsville, AL
The National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville invites you to apply to attend a tuition-free training session titled "Basic Clinical Practices: Treating Child Sexual Abuse Trauma." This training session is specifically designed for mental health clinicians who have responsibility for providing treatment to child victims of sexual abuse. This basic course is recommended for professionals who are new therapists or are new to providing therapy to this population. This will
be the 4th time the NCAC is offering this training.

Topics to be covered include Child Sexual Abuse Dynamics, Play Therapy, Expressive Therapy, Working with Non-Offending Caregivers, Traumatic Stress in Preschoolers, Narrative-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Forensically Sensitive Therapy, and Art Therapy. The attendees will also experience daily imagery sessions that provide the opportunity for reflection and introspection and will practice first-hand some techniques they can then take back and use with their clients. Faculty includes members of the National Children’s Advocacy Center staff as well as a number of experts from around the country.

Attendance is by invitation only, with NCTSN sites having priority. If you or a staff member would like to apply to attend this tuition-free training, please send the following information to Emily Donaldson (Note: Deadline had passed as of the edition of the e-newsletter. Inquire about late openings.): Name, Title, Agency Name, Address, Phone number, Fax number, E-mail address, of years of experience as a clinician. If the agency name is different from the NCTSN site name, please include the NCTSN site name that the person is affiliated with.

Space is limited. Travel, lodging, and other expenses are not covered and are the responsibility of the attendee's home agency. Please wait for confirmation before making travel arrangements. If you have additional questions, you can reach Emily Donaldson by phone at 256-327-3747.

15th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, April 18 to 23, 2005, in Boston, MA
The theme of this year's conference is "Supporting Promising Practices and Positive Outcomes: A Shared Responsibility." The conference offers excellent opportunities for promoting new working relationships, exchanging information on research, and reviewing practice issues and model programs. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is the local host agency.

The Children's Bureau, the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, and their co-sponsors have developed a broad mix of interactive educational sessions. More than 150 Workshops, Skills Seminars, Roundtables, and Poster Sessions are offered in six categories:

• Bridging Child Maltreatment Research and Practice
• Protecting Children Through Strengthening Families
• Developing and Sustaining Collaboration
• Focusing on the Frontline
• Reframing the System to Promote Positive Outcomes
• Treating and Intervening With Children to Improve Outcomes

Visit the conference website for easy, online registration and additional information about the plenary speakers, preconference seminars, special events, experiential learning opportunities, and a sample of the workshop sessions. For more information about the conference and conference registration, call 703-528-0435 or email 15conf@paltech.com .

“A Community of Healing: Integrative Practices in Trauma Response,” April 21-22, Helena, MT
The NCTSN-supported Montana Center for the Investigation and Treatment of Childhood Trauma (MCITCT) will co-host this statewide trauma conference with the Montana Counseling Association. The conference will address childhood traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and trauma response in times of war, terrorism, natural disaster, and school violence. MCITCT is a project of the Division of Educational Research and Service at the University of Montana.

Conference speakers will provide trainings in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Child Sexual Abuse (CBT-CSA), and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Beth Stamm and Phil Massad from the NCTSN center at Idaho State University will also be speaking.

Other sessions will consider counselor compassion fatigue, cultural and intergenerational trauma, and services for families experiencing military deployments. The hosts welcome state government officials, university researchers, local clinicians, and nationally distinguished keynote speakers Richard Yep, executive director of the American Counseling Association, and NCTSN collaborators Lucy Berliner and Laura Merchant from Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress in Seattle. Additional key collaboration on the event is being provided by the Montana Red Cross and one of Montana’s largest hospitals, St. Vincent HealthCare. Information may be found at: www.montanacounseling.org.

NCTSN Members Partner with Child Welfare League for “Finding Better Ways” Conference, May 2-4, 2005, New Orleans, LA
Over the past year, NCTSN has pursued linkages with a number of national organizations, including the Child Welfare League of America. The partnership has produced a number of collaborative activities, including a CWLA teleconference series on child trauma, a CWLA newsletter article on trauma and juvenile justice, and joint review of products and guidelines.

Now, NCTSN members have been selected to present a number of workshops at the Child Welfare League of America's upcoming conference on "Finding Better Ways: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Children, Youth and Families." The conference will be held at the JW Marriott Hotel in New Orleans.

NCTSN presentations include:

• “Building Mental Health and Judicial Partnerships to Help Traumatized Young Children,” by Joy Osofsky and Judge Cindy Lederman
• “Help for Parent Trainers: Working with Resistant Parents,” by Cynthia Whitham, a member of the NRC writing team at UCLA
• “JBFCS/CTPI Child Welfare Trauma Initiative: An Innovative Approach to Enhancing Trauma-Focused Services,” presented by Bob Abramovitz and Susan Paula from Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services in New York
• " Tapping Resilience in Youth: Development of the Life Assets and Values Assessment,” presented by Neil Mazer and Kristine Schwarz from the Alisos Institute, a partner to the Mississippi Child Trauma Therapeutic Services Collaborative in Jackson, Mississippi
• “Public/Private Partnership to Improve Outcomes of Traumatized Clients,” presented by Arlene Fisher and Cean Cotton from Depelchin Children's Center in Houston, Texas
• “Forensically Sensitive Therapy,” by Connie Carnes and Vonetta Holt from the National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama
• “How to Develop Your Plan for Effective Community Collaboration,” presented by Sharon Portwood and Sandy Martin from Kansas City and Kris Buffington from the Cullen Center in Toledo, Ohio
• “Evidence-based Intervention for Maltreated Infants and Young Children,” by Julie Larrieu and Charles Zeanah at Tulane Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, part of the NCTSN Early Trauma Treatment Network
• “CHERISH: Developing Programs to Meet Specialized Children and Family Needs,” about Kennedy Krieger's program for children with histories of maltreatment and intrauterine drug exposure, presented by Harolyn Belcher, Sonja Johnson-Brooks, and Michael Reid from Baltimore
• “Social Marketing: Strategic Decision-Making to Reduce Stigma,” presented by Ann Kirkwood at Idaho State University 's Institute of Rural Health
• “The St. Christopher's-NYU Family Research Project,” by Oriana Linares and Nicole Morin at the NYU Child Study Center
• “Integrating Trauma-based Theory and Practice into School Classrooms,” presented by Connie Black-Pond, Jim Henry, and others from the Southwest Michigan Children's Trauma Assessment Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan

APSAC 2005 Colloquium, June 15-18, New Orleans, LA
All Network members are encouraged to attend the 2005 APSAC. Once again this year, NCTSN and APSAC are collaborating around workshop presentations on child trauma issues and a Pre-Conference Training Institute. The Pre-Conference Institute is being led by NCTSN's Rural Consortium and will explore practice issues in rural communities.

Network members already scheduled to present at the Colloquium include Judy Cohen, Esther Deblinger, Patricia Van Horn, Kevin Gully, Ben Saunders, Lucy Berliner, Tony Mannarino, Michael Scherenga, Beth Hudnall Stamm, Joy and Howard Osofsky, Rita Ellis, Pat Morse, Mark Rains and Deb Larsen.

More information about the 13th Annual Colloquium is available on the APSAC website. Additional information about this significant training opportunity will be forthcoming to NCTSN members in coming weeks.