National Center for Social Work Trauma Education

Building Student Capacity

Students attending full partner schools take Core Concepts of Child and Adolescent Trauma, receive training in an evidence-based trauma treatment (EBTT), and complete fieldwork at an agency that delivers that treatment. Pictured here are core Concepts students at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service presenting their case notes.

Course Dissemination

The National Center has disseminated core concepts courses to over fifty schools across the country. Click above to view a map of locations where schools have offered either or both courses

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

The National Center is a member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) which aims to expand access to quality services for traumatized children and adolescents, and their families. A Core Concepts of Child and Adolescent Trauma class at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College is pictured here.

Developmental Impacts of Trauma

Children’s responses to traumatic events vary by age and developmental stage. Psychological trauma can interrupt emotional, social, and cognitive development in children and teens.

Mission

Vision: Transformed social work trauma education and enhanced and sustained trauma treatment services
Mission: To prepare the current and next generation of social workers for trauma-informed and evidence-based practice

Enhance capacity to provide high-quality evidence-based trauma treatment
Expand opportunities for collaborative application of trauma-informed practices in schools of social work, community agencies, and consumer and professional networks

Our Work

The National Center fulfills its mission by building the capacity of:

Schools of social work to provide trauma-informed, evidence-based, child, adolescent, and family trauma treatment education and training;
Social work students to become trauma-informed, evidence-based, culturally sensitive practitioners;
Community agencies to provide trauma-informed services and evidence-based trauma treatment; and
Field instructors to supervise students in delivering trauma-informed services and evidence-based trauma treatments.

Get Involved

There are many ways schools, agencies and students can get involved:

– Is your Social Work program interested in becoming more trauma-informed? Learn more here
– Is your agency interested in connecting with a social work program that is implementing the National Center’s “upstream model” of education and training? Learn more here
– Are you interested in finding a social work program that offers a Core Concepts course? Learn more here

What’s New? – Talking to children about gun violence in their communities