Evidence-Based Treatment for Child and Adolescent Trauma in Southeastern North Carolina - The NC Youth Violence Prevention Center (NC-YVPC; www.nc-yvpc.org) and Advantage Behavioral Healthcare Inc (www.advantagebeh.com) propose to become a FY-23 NCTSI Category III Community Treatment and Service Center (CTSC) that provides: 1) outreach, engagement, and prevention programming; 2) evidence-based mental health treatment; and 3) consultation and technical assistance on trauma-informed practices and programs to child-serving agencies. Both agencies have provided therapeutic support services to underserved victims of child trauma in southeastern NC including Robeson, Scotland, Columbus, Bladen, and Richmond counties for more than 12 years. Our target population is comprised of youth who have experienced traumatic stress, abuse, neglect, and victimization (i.e., Adverse Childhood Experiences - ACEs). Our initiative will serve disadvantaged, minority (Lumbee, African American, Latinx, immigrant, LGBTQ+) youth who have experienced ACEs in five rural counties and have few services or supports. According to 2018 FBI Uniform Crime Reports, these counties had the 5th, 3rd, and 1st highest Index Crime Rates per 100,000 in NC. All of these counties are rural QOZs with high levels of poverty, delinquency, violence, and crime. This context will make the proposed NCTSI-CTSC unique in serving rural, minority families with exceptionally high ACEs. For example, Robeson County (RC), NC is 42% Native American (NA; Lumbee Tribe) and has a homicide rate that is 3x the national average and a Lumbee poverty rate of 64%. In needs assessments, 52% of RC youth displayed serious behavior problems in school and 49% were rejected by peers. In addition, 34% of RC families reported domestic discord, 23% of RC youth report victimization, and 37% of RC families have a history of criminality (JCPC, 2020). Richmond, Columbus, Bladen, and Scotland Counties are rural and disadvantaged with high crime rates and large percentages of underserved African American youth. Evidenced-based treatments are scarce in these impoverished, rural counties, leaving victims isolated and suffering. The NCTSI CTSC will provide a mix of outreach activities, mental health treatment, and technical assistance to child serving agencies. We will implement evidence-based programs and practices (Expressive Arts, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Community Resilience Model, TF-CBT, CBITS) and trauma-informed practice innovations. Goal 1) Launch Outreach and Engagement Activities – Measurable Objective 1: Each year of the grant, at least 240 youth experiencing traumatic stress and/or their caregivers will participate in therapeutic outreach activities (Expressive Arts, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Community Resilience Model: 1,200 total). Goal 2) Increase Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatment - Measurable Objective 2: Each year of the grant, at least 200 youth experiencing traumatic stress will participate in evidenced-based therapy (TF-CBT, CBITS; 1,000 total). NC-YVPC and Advantage Behavioral Healthcare have 8 certified TF-CBT clinicians and will expand this number as they train more therapists in this approach. Goal 3) Provide Consultation and Technical Assistance on Trauma-Informed Practices to Child-Serving Agencies - Measurable Objective 3: Each year, at least 4 quarterly meetings for consultation on Trauma-Informed Practices will be held (20 total events, 300 participants), NC-YVPC and Advantage Behavioral Healthcare work closely with Child Advocacy Centers, Social Services, Community Coalitions, schools, and law enforcement in the target areas. Performance measures will be collected for each goal. We will collect participant surveys after each engagement event and technical assistance consultation session to measure participant learning and satisfaction. Mental health therapists will assess their clients at intake, 3 months, and discharge using the NOMs instrument, IPP, and other clinical measures. We will track program fidelity and conduct an overall program evaluation.
