Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services (11 CE)

Course Level: Intermediate

Course By: Jennifer Kolb, LCSW

Jennifer Kolb, LCSW; Social Work Consultant, reviewed and determined the course meets requirements for continuing education in the field of social work. This course is appropriate for masters and clinical level social workers. Jennifer graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisville, Kentucky. She specializes in school-based psychotherapy with children and adolescents, as well as licensing exam coaching and preparation.

Content By: This course is based on a publication prepared by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 57. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4801. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014). Numerous people contributed to the development of this Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP), including the TIP Consensus Panel (p. vii), the Knowledge Application Program (KAP)Expert Panel and Federal Government Participants (p. ix), SAMHSA Resource Panel (see Appendix G), TIP Field Reviewers (Appendix H), and the KAP Cultural Competency and Diversity Network participants (Appendix I). This publication was produced under KAP, a Joint Venture of The CDM Group, Inc. (CDM), and JBS International, Inc. (JBS), under contract numbers 270-99-7072, 270-04-7049, and 27009-0307 for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. CDM KAP personnel included Rose M. Urban, M.S.W., J.D., LCSW, LCAS, KAP Executive Deputy Project Director; Jessica L. Culotta, M.A., KAP Managing Project Co-Director; Susan Kimner, former Managing Project Co-Director; Elizabeth Marsh, former KAP Deputy Project Director; Claudia Blackburn, M.S., Psy.D., Expert Content Director; Sheldon Weinberg, KAP Senior Researcher/Applied Psychologist; Bruce Carruth, Ph.D., Expert Content Director; Raquel Witkin, M.S., former Deputy Project Manager; Janet G. Humphrey, M.A., former Editor/Writer; Virgie D. Paul, M.L.S., Librarian; Angela T. Fiastro, KAP Junior Editor; SonjaEasley and Elizabeth Plevyak, former Editorial Assistants; and Elizabeth Pratt, Ph.D., Carol Schober, Psy.D., M.S.N., and Patricia A. Burke, M.S.W., LCSW, BCD, C-CATODSW, CCS, contributing authors. Special thanks to Stephanie Perry, M.D., for providing a content review of the TIP, and to John P. Allen, Ph.D., for writing draft material and contributing information on combat stress.

Course Delivery: Online, Self-Paced

Course Description:
This course provides evidence-based and best practice information for behavioral health service providers and administrators who want to work more effectively with people who have been exposed to acute and chronic traumas and/or are at risk of developing traumatic stress reactions. Using key trauma-informed principles, this course addresses trauma-related prevention, intervention, and treatment issues and strategies in behavioral health services. The content is adaptable across behavioral health settings that service individuals, families, and communities—placing emphasis on the importance of coordinating as well as integrating services.

Learning Objectives:

1. Summarize specific trauma-informed intervention and treatment principles that guide clinicians, other behavioral health workers, and administrators in becoming trauma informed and in creating a trauma-informed organization and workforce
2. Delineate types of trauma; distinguish among traumas that affect individuals, groups, and communities; describe trauma characteristics; and address the socioecological and cultural factors that influence the impact of trauma
3. Evaluate the impact of trauma, trauma-related stress reactions and associated symptoms, and common mental health and substance use disorders associated with trauma
4. Delineate screening and assessment processes and tools that are useful in evaluating trauma exposure, its effects, and client intervention and treatment needs
5. Evaluate clinical issues that counselors and other behavioral health professionals may need to know and address when treating clients who have histories of trauma
6. Evaluate specific treatment models for trauma, distinguishing integrated models (which address substance use disorders, mental disorders, and trauma simultaneously) from those that treat trauma alone
7. Evaluate programmatic and administrative practices that will help behavioral health program administrators increase the capacity of their organizations to deliver trauma-informed services

Bio: Jennifer Kolb, LCSW; Social Work Consultant, reviewed and determined the course meets requirements for continuing education in the field of social work. This course is appropriate for masters and clinical level social workers. Jennifer graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisville, Kentucky. She specializes in school-based psychotherapy with children and adolescents, as well as licensing exam coaching and preparation.

Course Format:

Course materials can be downloaded or read online. To receive a certificate of completion, you must complete an online multiple-choice post-test with a score of 75% or better and complete an online course evaluation. 

Approvals: