University of Southern California Child and Adolescent Collaborative for Trauma-Informed Care (USC-CACTIC) - The University of Southern California Child and Adolescent Collaborative for Trauma-Informed Care (USC-CACTIC) will apply evidence-based, trauma-informed principles to raise the standard of care and expand access to evidence-based behavioral health services for trauma, grief, and loss for children, adolescents and transitional age youth ages 0-24 with complex trauma by implementing sustainable methods that are culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate in multiple settings. To achieve the aims of this project, we have established a synergistic collaboration between the University of Southern California (USC) and the Violence Intervention Program (VIP). Mental health programs within these organizations will partner to improve and expand services. Most of the clients served at the VIP Community Mental Health Clinic are from socioeconomically disadvantaged, predominantly Latine communities in metro Los Angeles. The clients served at the USC clinics are USC students from diverse racial, social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. The specific aims of the USC-CACTIC are threefold. We aim to (1) expand access and improve culturally responsive, evidence-based trauma screening, assessment, trauma-informed psychotherapy, outreach, and prevention services for unserved, underserved, or inappropriately served children, adolescents, and transitional age youth ages 0-24 with complex trauma; (2) cultivate and support a collaborative, trauma-informed system of care that is recovery-oriented and equity-based; and (3) reduce secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout for personnel at the USC and VIP clinics who work with trauma-exposed youth. We anticipate that over five years, an estimated 19,000 clients will receive trauma screening, and up to 1,625 will receive individual or group psychotherapy as a result of this project. The USC-CACTIC will expand access and improve direct, evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health treatments and services by increasing the number of clinicians and case managers and training existing and new providers on evidence-based psychotherapies for treating complex trauma. Working with staff clinicians and supervised trainees, we will both improve current services and train the next generation of behavioral health providers on trauma-informed practices early in their careers. We will establish a multicultural Consumer Advisory Board to explore ways to reduce disparities in access to mental healthcare. To create a more trauma-informed workplace, the USC-CACTIC will offer trauma-informed care (TIC) training to providers and other workforce members to increase awareness about the prevalence of complex trauma, recognize signs, symptoms, and long-term impacts, cultivate understanding of institutionalized trauma, and teach skills to avoid retraumatization of vulnerable youth. Vicarious trauma has been associated with providing care for traumatized clients, so addressing workforce wellness is essential to our success. We will implement training and strategies to avoid secondary traumatic stress (STS), compassion fatigue, and burnout.
