West Virginia

The Strength Builders program, developed by Youth Health Service, serves children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 who have experienced complex trauma and their families in the rural Appalachian highlands, where poverty and child maltreatment and other forms of trauma are prevalent. The program also improves community practices and collaborations for the care of traumatized children and adolescents. Increasing local expertise in trauma-focused outreach, diagnosis, and care with evidence-based interventions for children suffering from posttraumatic stress or traumatic grief, the program builds on the expertise, training, and resources available through the NCTSN to expand the reach of the Network into the rural areas of West Virginia.