Trauma-Informed  Care Consortium  of  Central Texas


"Building a Community of Care  for Children, Families and Providers"



  December 2018 Newsletter
Table of Contents
Featured TICC Member Article- STAR Health and Star Kids: Implementing the Road to Recovery
Featured Article- Coping with the Holidays After Loss or Trauma
Next TICC Meeting
TICC Members
During the Universal Hour of Peace, consider reflecting and setting intentions for the year.
Spotlight on 
Superior HealthPlan



Superior HealthPlan is a managed health-care company that provides health care for many Texans.  Superior began in El Paso in 1999. Today, Superior serves members in all 254 counties across the state.

Superior works with the State of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to bring you STAR (Medicaid), Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), CHIP Perinatal Care and STAR+PLUS and STAR Health. Superior has been the exclusive provider of STAR Health since 2008.

Trauma-Informed, Resilience-Oriented Approaches
 Learning Community
from National Council
for Behavioral Health



Today there are many challenges to delivering quality services and 
positive outcomes: increased violence, climbing rates of drug addiction, high caseloads, diminished funding, a compromised workforce.

You know the toll of trauma. You see it every day. But what can you do about it? How can you go beyond awareness to creating sustainable   organizational change that addresses trauma and nurtures resilience?   

The National Council's 9th Trauma-Informed, Resilience-Oriented Approaches Learning Community is a year-long initiative that provides the answers you're looking for. With two in-person summits, a series of coaching calls, webinars and a listserv of peers and experts at your fingertips, you'll develop the resources that respond to your organizational and community needs. 

Increase awareness of trauma's impact throughout your organization and learn actionable ideas from experts on the real-world benefits of trauma-informed care. You'll get the skills you need to: 
  • Implement trauma-informed approaches throughout your organization. 
  • Improve intake, screening and assessment for trauma and resilience. 
  • Adopt trauma-informed, resilience-oriented best practices for your clients. 
  • Build resilience in your workforce to prevent secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. 
  • Make your community a safe environment where clients can heal and staff can thrive. 
Application Deadline Approaching
(12/15)

 
 
Upcoming Trainings
*Please check our website (www.traumatexas.com) for on-going updates and additions to our trainings calendar!

DECEMBER

(12/18)

Add TICC to Your 
List Serve
 
Please notify 
of any upcoming trainings 
your agency is holding in 
order to get them added 
to the website and newsletter!  
The Trauma-Informed Care Consortium is funded by:

St. David's Foundation
December 10, 2018 
Human Rights Day

December 31, 
Universal Hour of Peace Day
Featured TICC Member Article
 
STAR Health and STAR Kids:
Implementing the Road to Recovery



by Mary Armstrong, LPC
 
Senior Training Manager,
STAR Health Foster Care
  
T he healing process for many survivors of trauma can be complicated by additional factors such as living with chronic health issues, developmental delays, and/or intellectual disabilities. Professionals and agencies who aim to support clients with these needs can now increase their knowledge with a two-day, trauma-informed training.

The Road to Recovery: Supporting Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Who Have Experienced Trauma Toolkit was developed by the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) in partnership with The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. The developers were motivated to create this curriculum due to the reality that "psychological distress secondary to medical procedures is another category of potentially traumatizing experience that is more common to children with IDD than to their typically developing peers. They may have chronic medical problems that necessitate surgeries and other invasive procedures." (Ko, Pynoos, Griffin, & Vanderbilt, 2015, p.24). It is available as an online course through the learning center at www.nctsn.org.  

Currently, Superior Health Plan provides both STAR Health and STAR Kids trainers the ability to access this curriculum live or online. Based on their feedback, it is clear that attendees have left with new, pertinent skills as well as hope for providing trauma-informed care to children and families with unique medical and developmental needs. One participant noted that "the information was very helpful in keeping a proper perspective while engaging clients with IDD.  They reminded us we can do this work and we're effective."  Another stated "I love that the training talked about organizational stress and that we learned about strategies to effect organizational stress."
The trainings through NCTSN and Superior Health Plan's STAR Health and STAR Kids trainers are free of charge as a public service to the communities and agencies we serve.  Please visit www.nctsn.org to learn more about their learning center.  To request training from STAR Health or STAR Kids Trainers through Superior Health Plan, please complete a training request at https://www.envolveu.com/contact-us/training-request.html.

In future newsletters, we will provide information on "Think Trauma,"another curriculum developed by NCTSN that supports the trauma-informed community through education, outreach and training.

References
Ko, SJ, Pynoos, RS, Griffin, D, Vanderbilt, D & NCTSN Trauma & IDD Expert Panel (2015). The road to recovery: Supporting children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have experienced trauma. Los Angeles, CA, and Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.
TICC Article
Coping with the Holidays
After Loss or Trauma



By Christi Neville, LPC
 Peer Support Coordinator, 
The Christi Center
Grief Therapist in Private Practice

For many, holidays symbolize a time of family togetherness and celebration, but for those who are coping with loss or trauma, the season often magnifies what has been lost. This makes holidays one the most difficult terrains to navigate in the healing journey. 

Here are a few touchstones that may help guide holiday planning, and bring families a little more "peace on earth":

1. Presence: The Gift of Connection
Our holiday fulfillment is not likely to come from material presents, but rather from being present with ourselves. Grief naturally asks us to be still and to connect to ourselves...amidst the hustle and bustle, find time to listen to your needs in each moment, and find compassionate ways to meet them during this season. Whether it includes being in nature, taking time for a bubble bath, or practicing prayer, identify a few things that help you feel connected.

2. Just say "No, no, no" if you're not feeling the "ho, ho, ho" "
Loss gives us the opportunity to re-assess what is most important to us. Holidays are an ideal time to practice boundaries, simplify routines, and reduce stress. It's okay to let go of old traditions that may no longer serve us; consider modifying rituals or creating new ones that are meaningful now and support our healing. We also have a choice in the company we keep. Pretending to be of good cheer when we're hurting inside is exhausting and counterproductive to connection. So, we might ask ourselves: Who are the people in our lives that helps us feel safe? Supported? Comforted? 

3. The ABC's of Planning:
Plan A   Based on re-prioritized needs, make a holiday plan that honors body, mind, and spirit.

Plan B   Even the best plans can't always anticipate our pain. The sights, sounds, and smells of the season can sometimes trigger unexpected "grief bursts" that leave us down for the count.  Having a backup plan helps us to feel safe, whether or not we end up needing to use it.

C ommunicate with Children. Giving children age-appropriate choices and voices in holiday planning can help them reclaim a sense of empowerment, hope, and family unity. Amidst the holiday schedule, respect consistent routines that provide safety and structure.

4. Honor Loved Ones
Setting aside a specific time or space to honor our loss can help us feel connected to a loved one.  Here are a few of many creative ways to remember them:
  • Make a family memory jar, or memory stocking, which family members can write special memories to put in
  • Light a candle or have a special toast to honor loved one
  • Include children in preparing loved one's favorite dish as part of holiday meal
  • Donate or volunteer in loved one's memory
  • Help children make special ornament with loved one's picture in it
However you choose to spend the holidays, may you find moments of comfort and love that usher in a new year of hope and healing.
TICC Announcements


Please join TICC for our next quarterly meeting:

March 2019, Date TBA
Location: TBA
Lunch will be provided

Please check traumatexas.org for updates!
  
TICC listserv members will receive an RSVP link in the coming months. 


TICC  Members 
Chair
Seanna Crosbie
Austin Child Guidance Center
 
Co-Chair
Renee Calder Encinias
 
Organizational Members
A World For Children - Keri Cooper, Megan Light
Any Baby Can - Jenny Baldwin
Armstrong Community Music School - Margaret Perry, Sarah Beth Gooding
Asian Family Support Services of Austin - Doan Phan
Austin Achieve Public Schools - Kali Fagnant, Ashcon Habibi
Austin Child Guidance Center - Seanna Crosbie, Stephen Kolar, Andrea Ciceri, Chloe Picot-Jacobs
Austin Discovery School- Ellen Barg-Walkow Wilder, Kelly McRee
Austin ISD - Kathy Palomo, Kimberly Bird
Austin Oaks Hospital - Meg Haden, Angelica Reyes
Austin Shelter for Women and Children - Annette Pelletier, Stacy Schwarz
Austin Voices for Education and Youth - Julie Weeks, Louise Hanks
Behavioral Health Center of Nueces County - Victoria Huerta Rodriguez
Bell/Lampasas County CSCD - Katie Martin
Cardea Services- Lori Pelliccia, Vanessa Sarria
Care Options For Kids - Kevin Worwood
CASA of Travis Co.  - Catherine Jones, Elizabeth Throop
Casey Family Programs - Michael Martinez
Center for Child Protection - Karina Garcia, Miriam Jansky
Center for Survivors of Torture- Russ Adams, Sally Daguer
Child Inc.- Mary Dunlap, Adriana Vasquez
Communities in Schools of Central Texas - Kelly Smith, Kris Downing
Community Advancement Network (CAN) - Raul Alvarez, Carlos Soto
CommunitySync- Suzanne Hershey
Dell Children's CARE Program- Heath Van Diest
Department of Family & Protective Services - Lisa Osborn
Eanes ISD and Westlake High School - Katie Bryant
East Austin College Prep- Sulamita Mora
Easter Seals Central Texas - Jessica Portilla
Education Service Center, Region 13- Darcy Schiller, Monica Kurtz
El Buen Samaritano - Donna Shanor, Debbie Del Valle
Family Service Association - Ron Flores
Georgetown Independent School District- Jennifer Ashman-Porter, Laura Roberton
Georgetown Psychological Services, PLLC - Amanda Johnson
Greater San Marcos Youth Council - Julia Ramsay New, Nena Meadows
Helping Hand Home - Micki Marquardt, Charalotte Crary
Integral Care - Bridget Speer, Melissa Acosta
Kids in a New Groove - Laura Wood, Sarah Wauters
KIPP Austin Collegiate High School - Natalie Riggins
LifeWorks - Rob Thurlow, Camille Clark
Literacy Coalition of Central Texas- Adam Benden, Ashlee Kraus
Lone Star Victims Advocacy Project- Glenaan O'Neil, Seve Kale
NAMI Austin - Karen Ranus, Jessica Miller
Out Youth - Sarah Kapostasy, Summer Hough
Parent Representative - Andrea Melendez
Pathways Youth and Family Services - Keri Cooper
People's Community Clinic - Celina F. Nance, Leslee Perez
Pflugerville ISD - Vicky Esparza-Gregory
Phoenix House - Meredith Mullens, Sara Mounzer
Refugee Services of Texas - Erica Schmidt-Portnoy, Joanna Mendez
Round Rock ISD- Marcie McEachin, Annwen Stewart
SAFE Alliance - Barbara Ball, Sarah Rees
Sage Recovery & Wellness Center - Angela Bowers
Samaritan Center - Gretchen Johnson Rees
Seedling Foundation - Falba Turner
Seton Healthcare Family - Angela Nguyen, Valerie Rosen
Southwest Key Programs - Johanna Cresswell Baez, Gladys Sanchez
Spirit Reins - Rhonda Smith
STARRY - Renee Cameron, Heather Riley
Superior Healthplan- Karen Rogers, Lorraine Martinez
Texas Association of Community Health Centers- Roxana Cruz, Christina Brito-Tigerina
Texas CASA - Sarah Crockett
Texas Family Voice Network - Barbara Granger
Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing - Beth Gerlach
Texas Network of Youth Services - Lara O'Toole, Christine Gendron
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid- Terry Secrest
The Austin Stone Counseling Center - Jason Kovacs, Andrew Dealy
The Christi Center- Erin Spalding
The Settlement Home - Jessica McKay, Michelle Spikes
Travis County Collaborative for Children - Katy Sauer, Stephanie Shaw
Travis County Health & Human Services & Veteran Services - Corie Cormie, Christinia Kuehn
United Way for Greater Austin - Joelynn Avendano
University of Texas - University Charter School - Nicole Whetstone, Melissa Chavez
Upbring - Stacie Campbell, Amy Knop-Narbutis
Williamson County Juvenile Services - Lynn Kessel, Amanda Brunson
Workforce Solutions Child Care Services- Michelle Crawford, Susan Helfeld
YWCA Greater Austin - Laura Gomez-Horton, Maya Amos
 
Newsletter Committee
Chloe Picot-Jacobs - Newsletter Liaison
Erin Spalding
 
Membership and Marketing Committee
Valerie Rosen and Joanna Mendez - Committee Liaisons
Sara Gideon, Valerie Fruge
 
Trauma Screening Committee
Andrea Ciceri - Committee Liaison
Micki Marquardt, Abigail Sharp, Jenny Baldwin, Camille Clark, Beth Gerlach, Dyann Avila, Lynn Kessel, Robyn Moyer, Vicky Esparza-Garza, Donna Shanor, Michelle Crawford, Susan Helfeld, Brenda Cazares
 
Website Committee
Stephen Kolar - Website Liaison
Candace Aylor