COUN 504 - Core Concepts of Trauma in Children and Adolescents

3 Credit(s)

This course provides a conceptual framework that forms the foundation for planning effective trauma interventions. The course accelerates student’s understanding and skill development by combining the twelve core concepts for understanding the impact of trauma on children and adolescents with using problem-based learning (PBL) principles and guided small group discussion of three in-depth case studies that further assessment, diagnostic, case formulation, and clinical judgment skills. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network developed both the case studies and the Core Concepts. The course highlights the role of development, culture and empirical evidence in trauma-specific interventions with children, adolescents and their families. It addresses the level of functioning of primary care giving environments and assessment of the capacity of the community to facilitate restorative processes. The three case studies promote student’s learning about how: (1) exposure to both acute and chronic cumulative trauma varies by age, gender, race, and stage of development, and (2) trauma-specific interventions with children, adolescents, adults and families begin with knowledge of the protective and/or risk factors found in families and communities. The course offers a consistent systematic approach to using theoretically based core trauma concepts that enhance preparation to provide effective treatment.