Think Trauma

Those working with juvenile justice system-involved youth which can include juvenile correctional or probation officers, youth care workers, teachers, social workers, judges, attorneys, guardian ad litems (GALs), or court-appointment special advocates (CASAs)

Think Trauma: A Training for Working with Justice-Involved Youth. is a skills-based, interactive trauma-focused training curriculum for frontline staff, educators, administrators, and others who work with adolescents in juvenile justice residential settings. The curriculum is developed in four modules and designed to be used in any program serving adolescents with trauma experiences that need all staff to have a common understanding of trauma and its impact. It can be used prior to implementing more trauma-specific services or beginning the journey of becoming a more trauma-responsive program. The manual contains specific and detailed information regarding with whom to implement, how to prepare for training, and provides prework which must be considered to prepare the organization. The curriculum itself is designed to be delivered either in full-day or modular form.

Monique Khumalo
Youth Trauma & Justice Solutions, LLC

• https://www.nctsn.org/resources/think-trauma-training-working-justice-involved-youth-2nd-edition
• Email: monique.khumalo@youthtjs.com
• Phone: (567) 868-9606

The goals of Think Trauma are:

• Provide basic education about trauma to those working with youth
• Assist staff to develop empathy and understanding for youth who have experienced trauma
• Learn what strategies may be effective in working with youth with trauma
• Assist staff to understand the impact that this work can have upon them
• Provide staff and organizations strategies to deal with the array of stressors that come with working in these systems and with traumatized youth and families

The essential components of Think Trauma include:

• Four modules:
• Module One: "Trauma and Delinquency"
• Defines trauma and traumatic stress in justice-involved youth
• Increases awareness of the prevalence of trauma in justice-involved youth
• Increases understanding of common behaviors exhibited in justice-involved youth who have experienced trauma
• Module Two: "Trauma's Impact on Development"
• Explains the impact of trauma on multiple developmental domains
• Speaks to how traumas have the potential to disrupt the development of both affective and behavioral regulation skills as well as attachment to others
• Module Three: "Coping Strategies"
• Reframes problematic behavior typically exhibited in justice-involved youth as survival coping skills/strategies
• Module Four: "Vicarious Trauma, Organizational Stress, and Self-Care"
• Provides staff an overview of these concepts and how to manage them

Recommended Intensity

This program is not a client-specific intervention, but a whole system approach that targets the entire organization.

Recommended Duration

This program is meant to be implemented at an organization and kept as a framework that helps the staff understand trauma better.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
• Justice Setting (Juvenile Detention, Jail, Prison, Courtroom, etc.)
• School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)

Homework

This program does not include a homework component.

Languages

Think Trauma has materials available in the following languages other than English:

• Spanish

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed in this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

There are no additional resources needed to add this program to an organization aside from the program materials.

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Implementing Think Trauma should be led by a mental health professional or someone with a mental health background and a frontline worker. In most instances, training provided by an experienced trainer is needed to train trainers prior to implementation.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

Manual details:

• Pickens, I., Marrow, M., Pynoos, R., & Benamati, J. (2020). Think Trauma: A training for working with justice-involved youth. National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. www.nctsn.org/resources/think-trauma-training-working-justice-involved-youth-2nd-edition

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact

Training Type/Location:

The Think Trauma curriculum may be downloaded from the website and taught to organization staff without any additional training from the curriculum developer. There are additional resources available online as well including videos and significant content to assist the trainer in the manual. With assistance from the curriculum developer, staff training is also available via a train-the-trainer model which enables multiple staff members to train future staff member on Think Trauma.

Number of days/hours:

Training of the Think Trauma curriculum itself requires approximately two days to be delivered. A train-the-trainer session takes approximately 2 days and is followed by opportunities for consultation.

"What is included in the Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research section?"

• There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies on outcomes with the appropriate target population for the topic area(s) in which Think Trauma has been reviewed.

• Marrow, M., Benamati, J., Decker, K., Griffin, D., & Lott, D. A. (2012). Think Trauma: A training for staff in juvenile justice residential settings. Los Angeles: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.

• Marrow, M., Knudsen, K., Olafson, E., & Bucher, S. (2012). The value of implementing TARGET within a trauma-informed juvenile justice setting. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 5, 257-270.

• Olafson, E., Boat, B. W., Putnam, K. T., Thieken, L., Marrow, M. T., & Putnam, F. W. (2016). Implementing Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents and Think Trauma for traumatized youth in secure juvenile justice settings. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/0886260516628287