SAMHSA reports for an organization to embrace a trauma-informed care (TIC) model fully, it must adopt a trauma-informed organizational mission and commit resources to support it. This entails implementing an agency-wide strategy for workforce development that is in alignment with the values and principles of TIC and the organization's mission statement. Without a fully trained staff, an organization will not be able to implement the TIC model. However, simply training behavioral health professionals in TIC is not enough. Counselors will not be able to sustain the kind of focus required to adopt and implement a trauma-informed philosophy and services without the ongoing support of administrators and clinical supervisors. An organizational environment of care for the health, well-being, and safety of, as well as respect for, its staff will enhance the ability of counselors to provide the best possible trauma-informed behavioral health services to clients. This culture of care must permeate the organization from top to bottom. Behavioral health program administrators should aim to strengthen their workforce; doing so "requires creating environments that support the health and well-being, not only of persons with mental and substance use conditions, but of the workforce as well." 

This project is an extension of the significant work and impact CFGC has accomplished over the past several years increasing capacity of mental healthcare for poor and working poor families.  Our efforts over the next year will focus on embracing the trauma informed care model that has been adopted by the State of Texas through the system of care initiative. While our clinical team is trained in trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, we will increase our agency wide training efforts to become a trauma informed care organization, expand current programs through collaborations and partnerships and strive to add new sustainable funding sources.