Trauma-Informed Care Consortium 
of 
Central Texas
"Building a Community of Care for Children, Families and Providers"
Newsletter
December 2015
Table of Contents
Spotlight on Spotlight Key Programs
Statewide Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Survey
Wounded Places Film Screening and Panel Discussion
Trauma Screening Work Group
Register Now for Creating Trauma-Informed Systems of Care within Organizations
Next TICC Meeting
TICC Members
    
Spotlight on 
Southwest Key Programs

Southwest Key Programs is a national nonprofit organization that provides education, safe shelters, and alternatives to incarceration for youth and their families. In their Youth Justice Program, Southwest Key partners with the youth's family to address areas of need as well as address and support the family's role in the success of the youth. These services allow youth to remain at home with their families and in their communities rather than being placed in institutions.

Southwest Key is committed to delivering quality services within a trauma-informed care perspective. To this end, Southwest Key has been focused on establishing organizational wide practices that support the trauma-informed care initiative.  One example of this is evidenced in their provision of trauma-informed care training to staff which meets the new legal standard established in Texas by Texas Senate Bill 1356.

To learn more about Southwest Key Programs, click here.

Upcoming Trainings
*Please check our website (www.traumatexas.com) for on-going updates and additions to our trainings calendar!
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Please notify 
of any upcoming trainings 
your agency is holding in 
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to the website and newsletter! 
The Trauma-Informed Care Consortium is funded by:

St. David's Foundation
Featured Articles
Statewide Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Survey

Sarah Crockett, MSW
Public Policy Coordinator, Texas CASA

Texas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), in partnership with the Texas Children's Commission, Cenpatico, the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and with input from the Trauma-Informed Care Consortium of Central Texas, developed theWorkforce Survey on Trauma-Informed Care within the Child Welfare System in Texas. This first-of-its-kind survey was distributed to child welfare stakeholders across the state to:
 
  1. Collect information on the trauma-informed care training and services available in Texas, and
  2. Gather feedback from the field on what is needed to make the system more trauma-informed.
In total, nearly 1,800 professionals from across the state took the survey, with respondents representing all but eight rural counties. In addition to the research that Texas CASA compiled on trauma training requirements, training providers and best practices at the state and
community-level, the survey also revealed important information about the trauma-informed care practices and services in the child welfare system in Texas. In fact, 83% of survey respondents reported receiving at least some training on trauma and its impact on children. The majority of respondents also reported feeling that they understand how trauma impacts children's behaviors.
 
Despite these encouraging findings, the survey identified many ongoing challenges. An overwhelming majority of respondents reported a shortage of adequate trauma-informed services or a lack of knowledge about these services in their area. While most mental and behavioral health providers reported training in one or more trauma treatment models, a majority reported that they are not certified in those models or using them to fidelity in practice. Another challenge reported was the need for more training, especially training that is in-person, practical and accessible (in terms of distance, schedule and cost).
 
Texas CASA has compiled its findings into a report that includes an analysis of the survey results, plus recommendations from both the field and Texas CASA on how to create a more trauma-informed child welfare system. In summary, the recommendations as a result of this survey and project include the following:

 

1.   Gather more information

2.   Standardize definitions

3.   Increase training accessibility and

opportunity

4.   Improve and expand current resources and       services

5.   Utilize research to restructure the system

 
Texas CASA's hope is that stakeholders will use the results of this survey when considering policies that aim to give children a better opportunity to heal from trauma and the positive outcomes they deserve.  To read or download the full report, click here. 
Wounded Places: Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Josette Saxton
Senior Policy Associate, Texans Care for Children


This week, Texans Care for Children partnered with the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to co-host an event that brought together Texans who work in a variety of fields but all want Texas kids to grow up to succeed in school and life. We screened the film Wounded Places, an installment of the Raising of America documentary series that takes a hard look at the impact toxic stress has on children. While the film highlighted children growing up in violent communities, it also spoke to the insidious and long-lasting effects that poverty, instability, domestic violence, hunger, and illness can have a child's development. The film called for tackling these causes of toxics stress, or "continuous traumatic stress," and showed how counseling and other support can mitigate the impact of toxic stress.

The film was certainly thought provoking, but the real richness of the event came from the panel discussion that followed. Dr. Craig Shapiro, Principal of Austin ISD's Crockett High School, and Tisha Kolek, Director of Counseling Services for Taylor ISD, shared how toxic stress impacts the learning and well-being of the students on their campuses. Dr. Shapiro noted that graduation rates shot up at his school after he installed on-campus mental health services rather than referring students to off-campus services. Drawing on his experience, he said that if a student comes to class weighed down by toxic stress, there's nothing the teacher can do to effectively educate the student. Ms. Kolek explained the training her district has provided to counseling staff to ensure they are equipped to seek out students in need and provide the support necessary to focus on their academics. All faculty at Taylor ISD have been trained in Mental Health First Aid. 

Click here to read the full article.
 Trauma Screening Work Group

Katie Mitten, LMSW
Program Specialist, Austin Child Guidance Center

TICC recently created a trauma screening work group as part of our work with the Travis County Plan for Children's Mental Health.  The plan, initiated by Austin Travis County Integral Care in collaboration with other organizations, was completed in early 2015 and provides a coordinated five-year plan for improving the wellness of children and youth in Travis County.  Upon the completion of the plan, groups were formed in order to formulate recommendations for implementation of the plan.  In October, TICC formed a work group focused on creating Travis County standards for trauma screening and creating a plan to support adoption of these standards by Travis County child-serving agencies and schools.  The trauma screening work group has met three times and has made great strides in identify and categorizing child-serving agencies and determining the structure of the standards. The trauma screening work group is also utilizing information from the TICC Organizational Readiness Survey that was conducted in November to identify which trauma screening and assessment tools are commonly used in Travis County. In early 2016, the work group will be looking for feedback and involvement from various child-serving agencies to determine what trauma screening standards are suitable for each setting. If you are interesting in participating in the work group please contact Katie at [email protected]. In addition, if you are interested in learning more about what trauma screener and assessment might be best for your agency you can find more information on the TICC website.
Featured Training
Register Now 
ONLY 12 TICKETS LEFT!
Creating Trauma-Informed Systems of Care within Organizations

Monday, February 15, 2016
10 AM-12 PM
ATCIC - 5015 S IH 35 Frontage Rd #200, Austin, TX 78744 (Rudy Zapata Room)

Presented by 
Seanna Crosbie, LCSW

This training will provide attendees with the knowledge and skills to start the process of transforming their agency to a trauma-informed system.  The benefits and barriers to becoming trauma-informed will be explored, and will include real-life examples of Seanna's experience leading an organization through this process.

Cost:
$30 

CEUs available for social workers, LPCs, Psychologist, and LMFTs

To register for this training, click here.
Next TICC Meeting
 
Friday, January 8th, 2016 - 9:00-10:30 am
YWCA Greater Austin 
2015 S IH 35 Frontage Rd #110
Austin, TX 78741
 
Please RSVP to Katie: 
TICC 
Members 
Chair
Seanna Crosbie
Austin Child Guidance Center
 
Co-Chair
Renee Calder Price
DePelchin Children's Center
 
Organizational Members
Allies Against Slavery - John Nehme
Any Baby Can - Alex Alfau
Armstrong Community Music School - Sarah Beth Gooding
Asian Family Support Services of Austin - Catherina Conte
Austin Achieve Public Schools - Kali Fagnant
Austin Child Guidance Center - Seanna Crosbie, Stephen Kolar, Andrea Ciceri, Katie Mitten
Austin Children's Shelter - Sarah Rees, Abigail Sharp
Austin ISD - Kathy Palomo, Kate Wegler
Austin ISD Campus Based Counseling Referral Centers -Starla Simmons
Austin Oaks Hospital - Angelica Reyes
Austin PD Victim Services
Austin Shelter for Women and Children - Stacy Schwarz
Austin State Hospital - Jennifer Swinton
Austin Travis County Integral Care - Melody Palmer-Arizola, Amanda Davidson, Melissa Acosta
Behavioral Health Center of Nueces County - Victoria Huerta Rodriguez
Bell/Lampasas County CSCD - Samantha Haynes
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas - Sharlene Eaton-Landis
Care Options For Kids - Kevin Schoenberger
Casey Family Programs - Michael Martinez
Catholic Charities of Central Texas - Teresa V. Cox
Cenpatico - Karen Rogers
Center for Child Protection - Barbara Jefferson, Addie Wieland
Child Inc. - Jerica Owukori
Communities for Recovery - Robin Peyson
Communities in Schools of Central Texas - Kris Downing, Kelly Smith
Community Advancement Network (CAN) - Hannah Brown
CommunitySync/Project HOPES - Suzanne Hershey
Community Yoga Austin - Shawn Kent
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Travis Co. - Charron Sumler
Dell Children's CARE Program - Sara Laney and Heather Van Diest
Department of Family & Protective Services - Sheila Brown
DePelchin Children's Center - Renee Calder Price
Eanes ISD - Katie Bryant
Easter Seals - Jessica Moore
El Buen Samaritano - Donna Shanor
EngenderHealth - Mandy Ackerman
Family Service Association - Ron Flores
Georgetown Psychological Services, PLLC - Jo Vendl, Psy. D.
Helping Hand Home - Micki Marquardt
Highland Lakes Family Crisis Center - Kifferie Corley
Kids in a New Groove - Laura Wood
KIPP Austin Collegiate High School - Vanessa Marie Flores
Lake Travis ISD - Kathleen Hassenfratz
LifeWorks - Rob Thurlow
NAMI Austin - Karen Ranus
OutYouth
People's Community Clinic - David Burrows
Pflugerville ISD - Vicky Esparza-Gregory
Phoenix House - Kyle Withrow
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas - Kristin McDuffie
Refugee Services of Texas - Kay Mailander
SafePlace - Linda Herbert, Barbara Ball
Samaritan Center for Counseling and Pastoral Services - Gretchen Johnson
Southwest Key Programs - Hillary England
Spirit Reins - Rhonda Smith
Texas CASA - Sarah Crockett
Texas Department of State Health Services - Emily Parks
Texas Network of Youth Services - Lara O'Toole
Texas NeuroRehab Center - Cheryl Nickell
Texas System of Care Consortium - Texas Family Voice Network - Candace Aylor
The Council on Recovery - Trish Taylor Rivera
The Settlement Home - Bronwyn Seay
Travis County Collaborative for Children - Katy Bourgeois
Travis County Health & Human Services & Veteran Services - Christina Kuehn & Corie Cormie
Travis County Juvenile Probation - Erin Foley
United Way for Greater Austin - Alison Bentley
UT Child and Family Research Institute - Beth Gerlach
YWCA Greater Austin - Laura Gomez-Horton
 
Website Committee
Stephen Kolar and Katie Mitten- Website Liaison
Kevin Schoenberger, Laura Gomez-Horton, Trish Taylor Rivera
 
Newsletter Committee
Andrea Ciceri - Newsletter Liaison
Bronwyn Seay, Micki Marquardt
 
Membership and Marketing Committee
Joe Dias, Barbara Jefferson, Kathy Paloma, Kate Amerson, Cristina Guerrero, Julie Guirguis, Jina Sorensen, Donald "Doc" Shuffield, Kathleen Doherty

Trauma Screening Work Group
Katie Mitten - Work Group Liaison
Alison Bentley, Sarah Crockett, Jerica Owukori, Angelica Reyes, Bronwyn Seay, Laura Stevens, Bridget Speer, Vanessa Flores, Michael Martinez, Micki Marquardt