In my new role as a Program Coordinator with the Traumatic Stress Institute of Klingberg Family Centers, I facilitated a workshop entitled A Treater’s Approach to Building Healthy Attachment with Trauma Survivors that focused on how our attachment styles influence treaters when working with trauma survivors.

Program evaluation using an empirically-validated instrument like the Traumatic Stress Institute’s Online ARTIC Scale (ARTIC stands for Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care) gives you insight into whether the training modality you choose is effective for your staff/agency.  “Trauma-informed care” has become a commonly-used term in healthcare settings as research further supports the impact that past trauma has on an individual’s ability to cope with stress (Gokhale et al., 2020). 

Data driven decision making is an important part of implementing trauma informed care and achieving desired outcomes. What are the options for organizations that don’t have the capacity to conduct a full program evaluation on their own? The Traumatic Stress Institute (TSI) created the Online ARTIC dashboard and an admin resource hub to address that very issue.

As ABA and IDD providers recognize the centrality of trauma in the lives of those they support, the natural next question is, “So what do we do about it?”

The Traumatic Stress Institute (TSI) is excited to bring you a free webinar highlighting the work of Greg Hanley, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA. In 2020, TSI made the strategic decision to offer our trauma-informed care (TIC) training and consultation services to organizations in the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) sector. We have or currently are working with eight IDD organizations, helping them embed TIC within the fabric of their organizational cultures.

Early Head Start/Head Start American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act grant recipients are facing challenges regarding how to spend down ARP funding by March 31, 2023. While initial funds were a critical lifeline to child care programs during the worst of the pandemic, there's still plenty that can be done to create stability in programs for the long-term; grant recipients know the importance of building workplace environments that are safe, equitable, trustworthy, and that support healing. 

My experience with Office of Head Start programs began in 2015 as an Early Childhood Mental Health consultant. I learned in that role just how vital it is for Early Childhood programs to provide quality early childhood services that promote school readiness, encourage family and community engagement, and – most importantly – build resilience in families, children, and staff.

Setting the Scene

Way back in 2019, I took a series of Improv classes at a place called Happier Valley Comedy where I live in Western Massachusetts. How brave of me, right? On Tuesday nights a group – ages 15 to 65 – that started out as strangers would gather to engage in a smorgasbord of improvisational games and activities.

As we discussed in a previous blog post, the Traumatic Stress Institute recognized that while our curriculum included some discussion of social justice, there was much more we could do to focus on and foster discussion about racism.  We understand that it is impossible to separate trauma and racism; racism is a common source of trauma.

Monthly RC Mindfulness: Come Fill Your Cup – June 2022 

This month, RC Trainers, Champions and staff participated in mindful listening practices. This blog offers a brief summary of the session and resources to support your own practice.  This practice may also be a good introduction to mindfulness practices for those who've not yet tried it.