Return to Main Menu

NCVC selected for national network to treat child trauma The National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC) at MUSC has been selected as one of 54 organizations throughout the United States to improve the care and treatment of traumatized children. The NCVC will work with two community partners, the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center and the Charleston/Dorchester Community Mental Health Center, to provide effective interventions for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.  As a part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), the NCVC and its community partners will receive $2.4 million during a four-year period to implement research-proven treatments, improve the quality of treatments, and expand children’s access to care. The NCTSN is funded by the federal Center for Mental Health Services, a branch of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services. “While the dramatic events of the last two years have made traumatic stress a front-page news item, terrorism is only one of the many forms of trauma experienced by children,” said the project’s director, Ben Saunders, Ph.D. “Every day in every community, many children experience abuse and violence in their homes, schools and neighborhoods. Our research has demonstrated that these children are at tremendous risk for a variety of emotional and social problems and need effective intervention. We are honored to participate in this important national network and believe the resources it provides will help us develop and deliver effective treatments to traumatized children.” Saunders is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at MUSC and director of the Family and Child Program of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. The NCTSN is coordinated by the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, based out of UCLA and Duke University. “It is unfortunate that every day, children across America face traumatic events,” said John Fairbank, Ph.D., co-director of the NCTSN for Duke University, “With the addition of the NCVC, this national network is strengthened in its ability to help children recover from trauma and lead successful, happy lives.” Community surveys reveal that more than 25 percent of American youth experience a serious traumatic event by their 16th birthday, and many children suffer multiple and repeated traumas. Common sources of trauma include abuse and neglect; serious accidental injury; disasters and terrorism; experiencing or witnessing violence in neighborhoods, schools and homes; and treatment for life-threatening illness. Traumatic stress can interfere with children’s abilities to concentrate and learn, and can seriously delay development of their brains and bodies. It can lead to depression, substance abuse, other mental health problems, educational impairment and other difficulties. Treatment from a mental health professional who has training and experience working with traumatized children can reduce child traumatic stress and minimize physical, emotional, and social problems. The NCTSN centers treat children from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds, in both rural and urban settings. Traumatic events addressed across the network range from hurricanes and tornadoes, to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, from the tragedy of ongoing familial physical and sexual abuse to inner city violence. As part of the NCTSN, the NCVC is committed to building programs to improve child trauma treatment, services and support.  The network’s reach goes beyond traditional mental health settings to law enforcement, juvenile justice, victim-witness assistance programs, health care settings, and child protective services-all arenas in which traumatized children may need help.   Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.