As evidence-based assessments and treatments for child trauma continue to expand and become increasingly available, pediatric medical providers benefit from additional knowledge for understanding how trauma may present in medical settings. This includes foundational knowledge of the effects of trauma and presentation of responses due to traumatic stress. Opportunities in child trauma training equip pediatric providers with knowledge and skills to respond to concerns, understand symptom presentation, and identify appropriate resources. Specialized training in child trauma within psychiatric practice is essential to the development of clinical, administrative, education, and research leaders within the child trauma field. Trainings are designed to build on core concepts of child trauma, while incorporating case-based discussions and evidence-based strategies for adult learners. 

• Training in child trauma is grounded in child development, neuroscience, psychology, and social science.  
• Training in child and adolescent psychiatry focuses on evidence-based prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of trauma-related disorders of thinking, feeling, and behavior affecting children, adolescents, and their families. 
• Recognition of historical and contemporary social and cultural factors that influence experiences of children and families is the foundation of trauma informed psychiatric training to address inequities in recognition and dissemination of trauma-informed support and interventions.  

Pediatric Psychiatry Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma Training

The University of Utah, a part of the National Child Trauma Workforce Institute developed models for psychiatrist in child trauma. This includes foundational training using the NCTSN Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT), an evidence-based trauma training curriculum, as well as mentored clinical, research, and teaching experiences for post-graduate trainees with specific child trauma related interests. It is critical that Child Psychiatry trainees learn how to effectively respond to the trauma histories and other lived experiences of the children and families for whom they provide care, incorporate their knowledge about trauma as part of evidence-based treatment planning, all while minimizing the risk that the clinical care exacerbates distress or otherwise retraumatizes the child and family. 

• For more information about the training program at the Univerity of Utah, click here. 

National Child Trauma Workforce Institute (NCTWI), in partnership with Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, the NCTWI uses the Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT) to increase knowledge related to child trauma among mental health professionals. The NCTWI also adapts the CCCT to meet the needs of professionals across disciplines, including psychology, psychiatry, and social work. 

PATTeR- Pediatric Approach to Trauma, Treatment and Resilience was a collaborative project between the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School Department of Pediatrics, with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The goal of the program was to educate pediatricians and other pediatric medical providers on the effects of trauma and steps for incorporating trauma-informed practices, such as screening, identification, and management of trauma-related symptoms in a pediatric setting. The program’s resources include video case vignettes and a Trauma Toolbox for Primary Care.

Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress, founded in 2002, is headquartered at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Nemours Children's Health, and University of Kentucky Healthcare. The Center aims to reduce the traumatic stress related to illness, injury, medical treatment, and medical procedures by providing educational support to healthcare providers on pediatric medical traumatic stress.