Overview of the Nature and Treatment of Trauma

Overview: Human service professionals working in today’s society cannot avoid the overwhelming responsibility of working with trauma survivors. The scope of this issue is so broad that it is often difficult to define the boundaries. This course provides a foundation of knowledge and will: define trauma and trauma disorders; explain the impact of trauma, including neurobiological, psychosocial and community/cultural/political effects; and provide an introduction to assessment and treatment. For those in our Trauma-Informed Certificate Programs, we recommend this as the first course to complete.

Did you know:

• Psychological trauma is a hidden epidemic. 90% of clients in public behavioral health settings have experienced trauma. - SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions.
• Trauma survivors have had overwhelming life experiences which significantly impact their capacity to function in a healthy manner. Engaging them into services and helping them achieve stabilization makes a huge difference in their lives.
• Research demonstrates that psychological trauma contributes significantly in the development of many problems such as various psychiatric disorders, addictions, behavioral disorders, suicidal behavior, personality disorders, violent behavior, and a variety of chronic health problems.
• Most trauma survivors you will work with have repeated life events resulting in complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder rather than PTSD by itself. The methods employed by professionals play a critical role in the resulting effects of trauma on individuals and its enduring consequences.

 Learning  Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the historical foundations of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder;
2. Identify trauma specific disorders including symptomatology;
3. Distinguish differences in types of posttraumatic stress disorder;
4. Recognize the neurobiological basis and impact of trauma;
5. Recognize the importance of dissociative components of posttraumatic stress disorders;
6. Explain the cognitive and social impact of trauma;
7. Describe the assessment process for posttraumatic stress disorder;
8. Describe the use of functional analysis in posttraumatic stress disorder treatment;
9. Summarize a variety of effective trauma treatment models;
10. Recognize the issues related to early, middle and late phase treatment.

Content (beginning and intermediate level)

 1. The Historical Roots of Trauma

2. Trauma:Prevalence and Diagnosis

3. Current Conceptualizations

4. Biological Perspectives

5. PTSD as Dissociative Disorder?

6. The Impact of Trauma: Social & Cognitive Factors & Effects

7. Traumatization in the Treatment System

8. Principles of Assessment and Treatment

9. Trauma-Informed Assessment

10. Efforts to Regulate Affect

11. Role play/Case Study Demonstration

12. Functional Analysis of Role Play/Case Study

13. Trauma-Based Case Conceptualizations & Phase Oriented Treatment

14. Stabilization Phase

15. Survivor Phase

 Target Audience: This course is appropriate for any human service professional (social workers, psychologists, nurses, criminal justice professionals, case managers, and others) who want to gain a basic understanding of psychological trauma and trauma treatment.

Trauma-Informed Certificate Programs Hours:  This course fulfills 9 FOUNDATION hours in the Online Trauma-Informed Clinical Foundation Certificate Program and the Trauma-Informed Care & Counseling Certificate Program offered by the University at Buffalo School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education.  

Handout materials include:

• PowerPoint slides
• Articles
• Assessment Tools

Course Completion:

• Use the Certificate of Completion tab in your course site to take course evaluation and the course quiz. Based on best continuing education practice, quizzes are included to verify your acquisition of knowledge. A score of 80% is needed to pass. You may retake the quiz if you do not achieve a passing score the first time. Upon successful completion of the quiz, you will be able to print your Certificate of Completion from this tab.

Course availability: you have 60 days from time of purchase to complete this course.

Collaborative Online Trauma Community:  As of February 2013, we are hosting a collaborative online trauma community that is open only to those who have enrolled in or completed one of our Trauma-Informed  Certificate Programs. This community will provide professionals with the opportunity to network and support each other regarding trauma work and course content. For those in the certificate programs, you will receive instructions by email on how to join this online group which is being hosted through the social media networking site LinkedIn. If you have any questions, you can email us at sw-ce@buffalo.edu

CEUs: Social work, NYS OASAS, and general CEUs are included as part of your course fee and will print out on your certificate of completion.

ADA Accommodations

If you require any supports for your ADA needs in the United States, please contact us by email at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at  sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at  716-829-5841.

Customer Service

We are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-ce@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5841.

Instructors:

Susan A. Green, LCSW, is one of our most popular instructors. Sue is a certified EMDR therapist with certification in Advanced Critical Incident Stress Management and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She works part-time as a trauma therapist and clinical supervisor for therapeutic foster care in Buffalo, New York.  Sue is a full time Clinical Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo, School of Social Work, and co-director of the School's Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care. Sue trains nationally and has also co-presented on Integrating Solution-Focused Techniques and Trauma-Informed Care, at the International Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association Conference in Banff, Canada.

Nancy J. Smyth, PhD, LCSW-R, BCETS, is Dean and Professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, in Buffalo, New York. The School is ranked as one of the best graduate schools in the country according to the 2013 US News and World Reports rankings. Dr. Smyth’s expert skills as a trauma therapist, researcher, and administrator give her a national and international reputation as one of the very best at leading social workers and other human service professionals to BEST practice in the field. Dr. Smyth was the driving force behind our Trauma-Informed Certificate Programs, the School’s inSocialWork podcast series that provides free training on current research and practice, as well as a leader in the change in our MSW curriculum to a trauma-informed and human rights perspective. Dr. Smyth is a certified EMDR therapist/consultant and a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress. Her Curriculum Vitae can be found at http://www.socialwork.buffalo.edu/facstaff/scripts/faculty_page.asp