May/June 2006

The evolving nature of the NCTSN was evident at the All-Network Meeting, held April 18-21 in Chicago. In the opening plenary, NCCTS co-directors Robert Pynoos and John Fairbank described the challenges to the Network as the as the membership changes over time. The Network is making progress in its mission to improve understanding of child traumatic stress (CTS), as well as improving the quantity and quality of specialized care, they said.

Paula Wolf of Chicago Metropolis 2020 told how an increasing awareness of child trauma's impact on the community caused local business and government leaders to form a child trauma coalition to address many social problems at their root cause.  Similar coalitions are forming in other parts of the country.

In another plenary session, Howard and Joy Osofsky presented powerful data about children, Hurricane Katrina, and traumatic stress in southern Louisiana.  Robert Hartman related the struggles of displaced families currently residing in Houston. Virtually the entire NCTSN was activated to assist the hurricane victims, but these sites in New Orleans and Houston continue to assist large numbers of affected families. The plenary provided them the opportunity to share their challenges and successes.

In a third plenary, William Saltzman and Patricia Lester described a model program being used in Southern California that supports military families when a soldier/parent has serious war injuries.  Col. Steven Cozza described how awareness of CTS has influenced his work with military families at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC.  Bob Pynoos said he hopes to expand these types of programs so that more soldiers and families have access to them.

Other meeting highlights included:

• SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie discussed the importance of our work.
• Formerly funded sites were welcomed with open arms.  Many were actively engaged in the meeting, making presentations and continuing to participate in collaborative groups.
• Collaborative groups were streamlined and met to develop targeted goals for the year.
• Members learned how to use the Knowledge Bank both to archive products that they developed, and learn about others that might be adapted for local use.
• NCTSN members showed off their programs, products, and assets at a Networking Fair.
• A full array of workshops addressed a range of issues, including an evolving definition of “Developmental Trauma Disorder,” “State Level Approaches to Creating Trauma-Informed Systems,” and “Creating a Roadmap for Family and Consumer Involvement.”