Project Grant H79SM087847

COLLABORATIVE FOR TRAUMA AND GRIEF TREATMENT (CTGT) - THE ALLIANCE FOR INCLUSION AND PREVENTION, INC.'S (AIP) CENTER FOR TRAUMA CARE IN SCHOOLS (CTCS), IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LYNN, MA, PUBLIC SCHOOLS (LPS), PROPOSES TO ESTABLISH THE COLLABORATIVE FOR TRAUMA AND GRIEF TREATMENT (CTGT) TO INCREASE ACCESS TO EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT FOR TRAUMA, GRIEF, AND RELATED MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN THE LPS WHO EXPERIENCE TRAUMATIC EVENTS OR ONGOING TRAUMATIC STRESS. CTGT BUILDS ON AIP'S DECADES OF EXPERIENCE DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS TO DELIVER EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES (EBPS) TO THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS IN BOSTON AND OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN MA. CTGT SERVES THE STUDENT POPULATION OF LPS. THE SY2022-23 ENROLLMENT IS 15,433 STUDENTS, 85% OF WHOM ARE CONSIDERED "HIGH NEEDS," DEFINED BY MA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AS BEING LOW-INCOME, ENGLISH LEARNERS, AND/OR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. THESE STUDENTS, AS WELL AS STUDENTS IN FOSTER CARE, LGBTQ+ STUDENTS, NEWCOMER STUDENTS, AND HOMELESS STUDENTS, ARE CITED BY LPS AS THE MOST VULNERABLE STUDENTS TO TRAUMA AND ITS EFFECTS. POST-COVID-19 COUNTY HEALTH ASSESSMENTS FOR LYNN AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES DOCUMENT AN INCREASE IN SOCIAL ISOLATION, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS IN YOUTH AS WELL AS AN INCREASE IN VIOLENCE, BULLYING, AND SCHOOL AVOIDANCE. THE ASSESSMENTS RECOMMEND SCHOOL-BASED INITIATIVES TO MITIGATE ACCESS BARRIERS, SUCH AS LACK OF TRANSPORTATION AND LONG WAITING LISTS FOR CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE SERVICES. THE GOALS OF CTGT ARE TO: 1) INCREASE ACCESS TO TRAUMA AND GRIEF EBPS FORLYNN PUBLIC SCHOOL (LPS) STUDENTS; 2)IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE SYSTEMTO ADDRESS THE RANGE OF STUDENT TRAUMA/GRIEF-RELATED NEEDS ACROSS THE THREE TIERS OF LPS'S MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS (MTSS); AND 3) INCREASE UNDERSTANDING ACROSS THE LYNN SCHOOL COMMUNITY OF THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA AND GRIEF AND RELATED DISORDERS ON YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.THESE GOALS ARE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE SCHOOL-BASED DELIVERY OF THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS AND PRACTICES: TRAUMA SYSTEMS THERAPY (TST); TRAUMA AND GRIEF COMPONENT THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS (TGCTA) AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL GRIEF THERAPY (MGT) FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS; COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION FOR TRAUMA IN SCHOOLS (CBITS) AND BOUNCE BACK FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS; AND SUPPORTING TRANSITION RESILIENCE OF NEWCOMER GROUPS (STRONG). PROGRESS ON GOALS IS MEASURED THROUGH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: OVER 5 YEARS: 1A) TRAIN 160 CLINICIANS IN LPS TO USE EBPS FOR TRAUMA AND GRIEF IN THEIR SCHOOL-BASED COUNSELING WORK; 1B)TRAIN 160 CLINICIANS TO CONDUCT SCREENING FOR TRAUMA AND GRIEF; 1C) DELIVER SCREENINGS AND EVIDENCE-BASED/INFORMED INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP TREATMENTS AND PRACTICES FOR TRAUMA AND GRIEF TO MINIMUM 4,975 LPS STUDENTS; 2A) PROVIDE ALL LPS SCHOOLS WITH TRAUMA AND GRIEF EBPS THROUGHOUT EACH SCHOOL'S MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS; 2B) DEVELOP TRAUMA AND GRIEF EBP ADAPTATIONS IN RESPONSE TO SHARED NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITHIN SUB-GROUPS WITH IDENTIFIED DISPARITIES (HOMELESS, FOSTER, LGBTQI+, AND NEWCOMER YOUTH); 3A) TRAIN 90% OF LPS TEACHERS (1,080) TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA AND HOW TO REDUCE ITS IMPACT ON CHILDREN IN THE CLASSROOM, INCLUDING FOR SUB-GROUPS WITH HIGH DISPARITIES; 3B) DELIVER 60 MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MESSAGES RELATED TO YOUTH, EMPHASIS ON TRAUMA AND GRIEF, TO LPS PARENTS/CAREGIVERS. CTGT PROVIDES SCREENING AND TREATMENT TO 475 STUDENTS IN YEAR 1, 875 STUDENTS IN YEAR 2, 1075 STUDENTS IN YEAR 3, AND 1275 STUDENTS IN EACH OF YEARS 4 AND 5, FOR A TOTAL OF 4,975 STUDENTS SERVED WITH EBPS. BY INTEGRATING EBPS FOR TRAUMA AND/OR GRIEF AT EACH MTSS TIER, CTGT FILLS THE GAP FOR QUALITY SUPPORTS FOR LPS STUDENTS IN NEED OF A TRAUMA-INFORMED, CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT.