Trauma-Informed Clinical Practice

In this part you will be provided with an overview of the program itself and an overview of the contributions of primary thinkers in the field of trauma studies (e.g. Pierre Janet, Sigmund Freud, Sandor Ferenzi, and Michael Balint). You will also learn the differing types of traumatic events, characteristics of traumatic events, defining and distinguishing features of PTSD, and the nature of complex trauma. You will explore community led models of care that expand our notions of collective wellness, resiliency and safety as integral to our political liberation and healing from crisis and trauma in our lives. As an attendee of this program, you will be introduced to a seminal study: the Adverse Childhood Experiences study (ACE) which will help us understand the later life impact of childhood maltreatment, as well as an overview of the effects of early life stress, chronic stress and trauma on the brain, genes and person, with a focus on neuroplasticity. Part of this unit examines how trauma is defined in children and adolescents, as well as how to develop a trauma-informed assessment for this population. Mentalization is the capacity for understanding behavior in the light of underlying mental states and intentions. In this course you will learn about its role in relational trauma and attachment. You will be provided with an overview of trauma and stress related events, responses, and triggers, as well as specific diagnostic criteria needed for Acute Stress Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Complex Trauma. A unit of this part examines the intersections of oppression based trauma and the clinical phenomena of disassociation on an individual’s physiological and mental health functioning and well-being. Anti-oppressive frameworks and interventions are explored to create transparent and partnered space for an individual’s healing and restoration. You will end this section with a firm grasp of the complexity of substance use and trauma comorbidity, including how both are defined and assessed. Information from recent literature along with treatment options will also be reviewed.

Lecture Sections

Session 1: Trauma Foundation I: Overview of Trauma
Lecturer: Carol Tosone, LCSW, PhD, Professor and Director, NYU Silver DSW Program

Objectives:

• Identify progenitors in the field of trauma studies

• Understand the different types of traumatic events and their characteristics

• Comprehend PTSD and its defining distinguishing features

• Grasp the nature of complex trauma

Session 2: Trauma Foundation II: Understanding a Trauma-Informed Approach and a Healing Justice Perspective: Community Led Wellness & Safety Strategies
Lecturer: Cara Page, Activist-in-Residence, Barnard Center for Research on Women

Objectives:

• Define the Trauma Informed approach developed by SAMHSA

• Define healing justice, the medical industrial complex, and transformative justice

• Identify sites of healing justice practices as tools of community led strategies to intervene and transform trauma

• Understand spiritual, emotional, physical, mental and environmental well being

Impact of Trauma on the Brain, Self, and Relationships

Session 3: The Effects of Early Life Stress (ELS), Chronic Stress and Trauma on the Brain, Genes and Person: Resilience & Recovery
Lecturer: Brian Koehler, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, NYU Silver

Objectives:

• Understand broadly some of the effects of early life stress, chronic stress, and trauma on the braines, genes, and person

• Define developmental traumatology

• Discuss the implications of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study

• Grasp the ideas of neuroplasticity and how it applies to trauma

Session 4: Trauma-Informed Assessment of Children and Adolescents
Lecturer: Donna Friedman, LCSW, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, NYU Silver

Objectives:

• Describe how trauma is defined and assessed in children and adolescents

• Articulate interrelated aspects of psychological and physiological trauma in the context of environment and development

• Apply core competencies of assessment of trauma in children and adolescents to their own clinical practice

Session 5: Relational Trauma: Mentalization and Attachment
Lecturer: Christine Fewell, LCSW, CASAC, PhD, Adjunct Professor, NYU Silver

Objectives:

• Learn the importance of mentalization in the attachment of the relationship and what aspects developed mentalization

• Understand how mentalization is hindered by attachment trauma

• Learn to distinguish mentalizing from non-mentalizing types of thinking

• Learn strategies for helping individuals to increase mentalizing skills

Clinical Assessment of Trauma

Session 6: Trauma Disorders: Overview of Acute Stress Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Complex Trauma

Lecturer: Natalie Medina-Minton, LCSW, DSW, Adjunct Lecturer, NYU Silver

Objectives:

• Understand on a broad level the different trauma and stress related events, responses, and triggers

• Identify diagnostic criteria for Acute Stress Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Complex Trauma

• Appreciate the differences in trauma presentation across different developmental stages

Session 7: Dissociation and Oppression Based Trauma
Lecturer: Amanda Mays, LCSW, Adjunct Lecturer, NYU Silver

Objectives:

• Identify characteristics of dissociation

• Describe Oppression Based Trauma

• Integrate understanding of Oppression Based Trauma in the expression of an individual’s clinical dissociative physiological and mental health expressions

• Apply Anti-Oppressive strategies and interventions to create parterend space of healing and restoration

Session 8: Comorbidity: Substance Abuse and Trauma
Lecturer: Antonio Ruberto Jr., LCSW-R, CASAC, Senior Director of Behavioral Health at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center; Clinical Social Worker & Therapist

Objectives:

• Describe how trauma is defined from a substance abuse perspective

• Understand the complex connection between substance abuse and trauma how to effectively assess both with clients

• Learn about interventions to treat both substance use and trauma together and substance use from a trauma-informed perspective

Session 9: Police Violence and Its Impact on Inducing Trauma in Communities of Color
Lecturer: Keston Jones, MHS, CASAC

Objectives:

• Have a better understanding of slavery and its effect on African Americans, in particular males

• Understand the role that mass incarceration has played in continuing oppression of African Americans

• Learn about historical trauma, how it contributes to PTSD and other forms, the current interventions to support those currently suffering from the effects of trauma. 

Session 10: Introduction: Childhood Sexual Abuse
Lecturer: Kristin Pleines, LCSW, DSW

Objectives:

• Understand the signs and symptoms of childhood sexual abuse as well as the challenges of assesment in vulnerable populations

• Integrate and reflect on theory, current research, and the use of EBPS

• Apply concepts and interventions learned in this module to a case example/discussion

Session 11: Sexual Abuse: Adult Onset
Lecturer: Mayowa Alero, PhD

Objectives:

• Define and identify statistics related to adult onset sexual assault

• Identify the range of effects of sexual assault on survivors

• Utilize an ecological framework to understand multi-level influences on the experience of sexual assault

• Identify aspects of rape culture that impact survivors experience of sexual assault and societys understanding of sexual assault

Session 12: Persecution and Forced Migration: Trauma, Resources, and a Social Work Response
Lecturer: Nancy Murakami, LCSW, DSW

Objectives:

• Describe forced migration, torture, refugee status, and asylum

• Articulate interrelated aspects of resilience and of trauma across stages of forced immigration

• Apply core competencies of psychosocial support for survivors of torture and forced migration to their own clinical practice

Session 13: Military Trauma
Lecturer: Josey Madison Politowicz, LCSW, PhD

Objectives:

• Learn the different types of trauma that military member clients may be exposed to and ways to measure them

• Learn about the military culture including norms, stigma, types of discharge from military service, potential implications of a PTSD diagnosis, and military language

• Identify effective military trauma recovery therapies

Session 14: Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Exposure for Treatment of Anxiety
Lecturer: Noah Clyman, LCSW-R

Objectives:

• Understand the cognitive model for anxiety

• Explain the benefits of exposure for treatment of anxiety and the costs of clients’ maintaining avoidance and safety behaviors

• Collaboratively develop an individualized exposure hierarchy with their clients so that the client may face fears successfully

• Use the Color Coded System Hierarchy (CCSH) and Action Plans to promote desired behavior change

Session 15: Prolonged Exposure Therapy: An Overview
Lecturer: Emily Price, LCSW

Objectives:

• Understand the basic rationale and treatment components of Prolonged Exposure Therapy

• Recognize the importance of utilizing evidence-based treatment strategies when treating patients with PTSD

• Successfully challenge the myths and misunderstandings of exposure therapy

• Walk away with some concrete treatment strategies that you can incorporate into your practice

Session 16: Somatic Experiencing: A Brief Overview
Lecturer: Emily Price, LCSW

Objectives:

• Understand the basic rationale and treatment components of Somatic Experiencing

• Embrace an alternative definition of trauma

• Recognize key concepts of SE including the felt sense, fight/flight/freeze, resources, activation, pendulation, discharge, and biological completion

• Understand the benefit of incorporating a mindfulness and body-based treatment strategy into your practice when working with trauma survivors

Session 17: The Cost of Caring: Impact of Trauma on the Clinician
Lecturer: Carol Tosone, LCSW, PhD; Professor & Director, DSW Program, Co-Director, Trauma-Informed Clinical Practice Program

Objectives:

• Have a better understanding of the impact of trauma on the helping professional

• Understand key concepts in trauma related to the impact of trauma on the professional

• Assess for yourself at this current time the impact your work has on you (PROQOL)

Session 18: Self-Care for the Mental Health Professional: Mindfulness & Meditation
Lecturer: Jason Kurtz, LCSW-R

Objectives:

• Have a better understanding of vicarious trauma

• Define mindfulness and its connection to aiding us in our work

• Learn about the three different types of meditation for use on ourselves

1. Text: Lesson text introduces main lesson themes, provides summary information as well as key bullet-pointed information, and introduces other content, including readings and videos. Expectations: Students are expected to use information in the lesson text to answer learning assessment questions. 
2. Readings: When a reading icon or reading link appears in the lesson, students will complete the assigned reading at that point of the lesson, unless the reading is marked as 'optional.' The readings are accessible online, either through links to databases to which NYU has subscriptions or to downloaded PDFs. 
3. Video: Videos will either be embedded on the page or accessible through links to other web pages. When a video or video link appears in the lesson, students will watch the video at that time; it is placed in that part of the lesson in order to best support the ideas at that point in the lesson. Expectations: Students are expected to be able to use the video content to inform your responses to learning assessment questions.

Learning assessments in the form of true/false, multiple choice, and short-answer questions are located at the conclusion of the course. Students must complete all learning assessments in order to receive Continuing Education (CE) contact hours. Students must also answer at least 80% of the questions on any quiz questions correctly to receive the certificate of completion. Questions answered incorrectly will be identified. Students may take the assessments as many times as needed to pass. Students must complete two structured essays related to course content to complete the course.

Students will complete an evaluation of the program and their experiences upon completion of the above tasks.

All required videos and readings for all lessons in this program have been completed.

All required assessments for all lessons in this program have been completed, with a passing grade. (NOTE: If you have not received a sufficient grade on any assessment, you have the ability to re-take it and must do so to complete the program).

The required program evaluation has been completed.

Your Bursar account balance for this program is paid in full.

In order to obtain your certificate, you must complete the Certificate Request Form (found in the NYU Classes system). Receipt of the Post-Master's Certificate Program certificate takes approximately 3-4 weeks from the date of the request.  Receipt of CE certificate for social workers takes between 24 and 48 hours (not including weekend hours) from the date of the request.

Requests are processed more quickly when all of the program requirements (above) have been met prior to submission of the request. Please make sure that you have met all of the requirements before submitting the form. All of the requirements will be checked by the Office of Global and Lifelong Learning staff as part of the request processing. Once your certificate has been processed, it will be mailed to the address you provided in the request form. (Note: Due to remote work through Summer 2021, the mailing process is delayed until Fall 2021).

New York University Silver School of Social Work is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers {#SW-0012}.

NYU Silver School of Social Work, 1415 is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) www.aswb.org through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. NYU Silver School of Social Work maintains responsibility for the program. ASWB Approval Period: 11/19/22 - 11/11/25. Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval for continuing education credits.

New York University Silver School of Social Work is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors {#MHC-0083}.

For Mental Health Practitioners: Please check with your state, if you are not licensed in New York, to determine if these credits will be accepted for licensing renewal.

Upon acceptance into the program, a $250 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place. This deposit is applied to the total cost of tuition. Full payment is due upon enrollment in the course.

Refund Policy for Early Withdrawal
The $250.00 program deposit is non-refundable. Students that withdraw within 30 days of enrollment (i.e., the day of receipt of the welcome message via email) will be refunded 100% of their fees (minus the deposit). Students that withdraw within 60 days of enrollment will be refunded 70% of their fees (minus the deposit). Students who withdraw within 90 days of receiving their welcome message will be refunded 55% of their fees (minus the deposit). Students who withdraw after 90 days will receive no refund.

Send an email to silver.continuingeducation@nyu.edu that includes the following details:

• Your name

• Date of enrollment (i.e., date of welcome message)

• Reason for withdrawing

Withdrawal can take between one and two weeks to process and refunds of any fees paid can take an additional number of weeks. For the best estimate of when a refund will be made, contact the Bursar two weeks after the request has been submitted.