Behavioral Health Initiatives |
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CHDI and DCF Collaborate to Bring Comprehensive School Mental Health to CT School Districts |
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CHDI is expanding our Comprehensive School Mental Health (CSMH) work in 2023, in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), to assist two school districts. The new CSMH initiative builds off of the current Project AWARE initiative that Middletown, Naugatuck, and Windham Public Schools are utilizing. Project AWARE is helping these districts support students' trauma and behavioral health needs using a Comprehensive School Mental Health (CSMH) framework.
Bristol Public Schools is the first district to sign on to the new CSMH initiative. CHDI is seeking one additional district to participate. CHDI will help Bristol Public Schools and a second district identify, develop, and implement behavioral health programming and interventions by focusing on a systems perspective, helping all students reach their full academic and behavioral health potential.
Schools interested in using a CSMH approach to address students' behavioral health needs should contact Dr. Jamie LoCurto (locurto@uchc.edu) to inquire about participating in the CSMH initiative or accessing free technical assistance.
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ECTC Has Helped Connecticut Families Access Trauma-Focused Services for Infants, Toddlers, and Young Children |
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Many children younger than 6 years old have been exposed to trauma, yet services and treatments for trauma are often geared toward older children.
From 2016-2022, CHDI's Early Childhood Trauma Collaborative (ECTC) worked to change this by expanding trauma-focused services for children ages 0-7 in Connecticut. ECTC also helped Connecticut’s early childhood workforce identify and support young children and their families who may be experiencing traumatic stress.
As a result of this six-year effort, families in Connecticut have improved access to three evidence-based treatments that are effective for young children, including:
- Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)
- Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI)
- Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC)
Recent data from those completing ARC showed that 64% experienced a reduction in child traumatic stress symptoms, 70% experienced reductions in problem severity, and 65% of caregivers experienced an improvement in their own symptoms of depression or traumatic stress.
The ECTC initiative was funded through a federal SAMHSA grant as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and ended in September 2022. CHDI will continue to include the needs of young children in our ongoing EBT and outpatient work to ensure there are developmentally-appropriate, trauma-informed EBTs for children of all ages. Learn more about our work to address childhood trauma.
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What is MATCH-ADTC? Find Out in CHDI's EBT Spotlight Series |
Each month, CHDI will highlight an evidence-based children's mental health treatment we have disseminated in Connecticut in our EBT Spotlight Series.
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MATCH-ADTC is an evidence-based treatment for children ages 6-15 experiencing up to four of the most common behavioral health concerns: anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and behavior problems. Watch this short video to learn more.
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Resources for Schools, Providers, and Families |
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School Resource: Trauma ScreenTIME Schools Course Available |
The Trauma ScreenTIME Schools Course is an online training course on how to screen children for trauma in schools. The course is available at no cost to child-serving professionals. Additionally, continuing education credits are available.
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Provider & Family Resources: Connecting to Care Tools to Engage Families, Navigate Services, & Improve Equity |
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Connecticut’s Connecting to Care initiative is working to build a system or “network of care” that meets the behavioral health needs of all children in our state. Check out the newest resources below or visit www.connectingtocarect.org.
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Community Collaboratives Video
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Assisted Intervention Matching (AIM) Tool |
View the Assisted Intervention Matching (AIM) tool to connect to in-home services in Connecticut.
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Data Story: CLAS Health Equity Plans |
View the CLAS - Health Equity Plans Data Story
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CHDI serves as the Coordinating Center for the Connecting to Care initiative. Learn more about the Connecting to Care initiative at www.plan4children.org.
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Mobile Crisis Intervention Services Featured on WTNH News 8 |
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Connecticut's youth mobile crisis services was featured for its role in preventing youth suicide in a recent WTNH News 8 story:
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Staff News and Presentations |
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CHDI Welcomes Kara Vlahcevic as our Newest Data Analyst |
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Kara Vlahcevic joined CHDI as a data analyst for children’s outpatient services and evidence-based treatments (including TF-CBT, MATCH-ADTC, and CBITS/Bounce Back). She is responsible for analyzing data and producing reports to support CHDI's quality improvement projects in outpatient children’s behavioral health.
Prior to joining CHDI, she worked as a clinical research coordinator at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the Department of Anesthesiology. Kara earned a bachelor of science degree in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in Psychological Science with a concentration in Developmental Psychology from the University of Connecticut.
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Jason Lang Shares CHDI's Work on Child Trauma and Evidence-Based Treatments at an International Conference |
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CHDI's Jason Lang presented on CHDI’s work at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Annual Conference in Atlanta on November 10-11. He was a panelist on Measuring Trauma-Informed Care: State of the Research, where he described CHDI’s and Connecticut’s work to create more trauma-informed child-serving systems. He also joined former CHDI Postdoctoral Fellow Phyllis Lee and other colleagues on a symposium Digging Deeper in Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Treatments for Children: Caregiver Involvement, Adaptations, and Outcomes, which shared data from Connecticut about how EBTs for children can be most effective in community-based settings. Learn more about CHDI's work to address child trauma and advance evidence-based treatments.
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CHDI is Growing - Join Our Team! |
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CHDI is seeking candidates for the following positions.
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Child Health and Development Institute
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The CHDI logo is a registered trademark.
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