Colorado State University in Fort Collins created a center to address trauma experienced by children in the community aged 4 to 18 years.
The Child Trauma and Resilience Assessment Center is based in CSU's Center for Family and Couple Therapy, which has been serving Northern Colorado for more than 25 years.
The new center focuses on addressing childhood trauma via the "system theory" created by faculty at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and led by Jim Henry, PhD, a professor of social work and director of the WMU Children's Trauma Assessment Center. The theory assesses trauma by examining every relationship the child is involved in, including parents, guardians, therapists, probation officers and mentors. The method attempts to locate the root of the trauma and not simply mitigate the symptoms it produces.
"Some of these kids have had things happen to them that are beyond our belief," Stephanie Seng, the director of CTRAC, said in an email release. "It can be a challenge because they don't trust any of us. And these traumatized children haven't been helped enough. Now we're seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not a train. Seeing something like this after all these years is pretty awesome."
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