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Workshop Overview

Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice Erika Tullberg, MPA, MPH Assistant Research Professor NYU Child Study Center November 27, 2012. Workshop Overview. What does trauma look like in older youth? What challenges does trauma present in permanency planning?

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Workshop Overview

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  1. Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency PracticeErika Tullberg, MPA, MPHAssistant Research ProfessorNYU Child Study CenterNovember 27, 2012

  2. Workshop Overview • What does trauma look like in older youth? • What challenges does trauma present in permanency planning? • What trauma-informed strategies can be employed to better serve our youth and families? Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  3. Hat #1: Trauma “Expert” • Faculty at NYU Child Study Center • Member of National Child Traumatic Stress Network Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  4. Hat #2: Child Welfare Professional • 11 years working for public child welfare agency • Mentor to “rookie” foster care caseworkers Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  5. Hat #3: Foster Parent • Parent of a 22-year-old alumna of foster care Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  6. Traumatic Stress Traumatic event Re-experiencing trauma Avoidance Intense Arousal Numbing Consciousness shifts Relationship difficulties Affect Dysregulation Self problems Harmful behavior Saxe, 2012 Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  7. Trauma and Older Youth in Foster Care Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  8. Opportunities and Challenges * From The Adolescent Brain, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, 2011 Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  9. Opportunities and Challenges * From The Adolescent Brain, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, 2011 Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  10. Opportunities and Challenges * From The Adolescent Brain, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, 2011 Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  11. The Foster Care “Bubble” and Magical Thinking • Adolescence is a time of risk-taking, but also a time of consequence-acquisition – not always possible in foster care setting • Limited freedom – life of appointments, workers, plans • Unlimited second chances – sensitive to trauma-related needs of kids, but unrealistic preparation for the future • Belief that things will just “work out” • How to balance support vs. over-reliance • Knowing that if you don’t help youth with something it won’t happen, but that if you do they may not learn how to do it on their own Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  12. Strategies From Advancing a Trauma-Informed Collaborative System for Emerging Young Adults Transitioning from Foster Care to Adulthood in Maryland (Family Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute, 2012): • Developing knowledge of trauma and transition to adulthood issues and approaches • Engaging and partnering with emerging young adults and their adult allies • Life planning and provision of individualized supports and services • Collaborating across child and adult systems related to trauma and transition needs • Ensuring organizational support and capacity for implementation and sustainability Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  13. Strategies, continued • Developing knowledge of trauma and transition to adulthood issues and approaches • Knowledge of the effects of trauma for emerging young adults, caregivers, providers and partners • Importance of psychoeducation and concrete, individualized strategies for identifying and managing triggers • Be explicit about the link between effects of trauma and specific transition-related tasks • Challenges around discussing impact of trauma on development with youth • Challenges around confidentiality Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  14. Strategies, continued • Life planning and provision of individualized supports and services • Youth-driven life planning; individualized life success planning • Minimal intrusion • Efforts are coordinated, meet youths’ identified needs, are not overwhelming • Keep impact of trauma in mind • Does this task/service match the youth’s developmental level? • What psychoeducation and/or adaptation is needed? • Can we be more flexible? Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  15. Strategies, continued • Collaborating across child and adult systems related to trauma and transition needs • Mutual cross-training and collaboration • Challenges in educating and engaging adult-serving systems around needs of youth leaving care • Accountability – to systems, to families, to youth • Challenges around information-sharing, confidentiality • Are the right services really there? If not, how can existing services be modified, and/or new services be developed? Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  16. Impact on Staff • Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is a documented risk for child welfare staff, and is thought to be a contributing factor to high turnover in the field • STS reactions are similar to those following primary exposure to trauma, can result in: • Negative bias, pessimism • Loss of critical thinking skills • Threat focus • Decreased self-monitoring • Feeling helpless, overwhelmed • Unaddressed STS can impact the quality of case practice • Parents and other youth supports are also at risk Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  17. Impact on Staff, continued • Working with older youth in care may be particularly challenging, given the high stakes and urgent timeframes • Frustration from working with youth who have negative or counter-productive reactions, or do not follow through with their case plans • Helplessness may be heightened by lack of appropriate resources, other systems’ lack of responsiveness • Child welfare agencies should have systems in place to educate staff, supervisors and administrators about STS and build resilience-related skills at all levels of the agency Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  18. What can we do to better support transitioning youth? • As system leaders? • As agency administrators? • As frontline staff? • As family members? Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  19. Discussion Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

  20. Contact Information Erika Tullberg NYU Child Study Center 646-754-5107 Erika.Tullberg@nyumc.org Use of Trauma-Informed Interventions in Youth Permanency Practice

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