Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training Project

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is a national network of trauma centers -- including the Southwest Michigan Children’s Assessment Center (WMU CTAC) -- that includes treatment providers and researchers across the nation, and whose mission is to raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children, their families, and communities throughout the United States. In collaboration with the NCTSN, Fordham University and Hunter College, WMU School of Social Work has developed this unique TF-CBT training project for students in the IP concentration year.  We will provide a limited number of concentration field placements that offer specialized training and supervision in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), with field instructors who have completed specialized training and are implementing TF-CBT in their practice with children.

1. Eligibility – students who have declared the MSW Interpersonal Practice (IP) concentration.
2. This internship REQUIRES the following:
   1. Completion of the 3-hour elective course SWRK 6500: Core Concepts of Child Trauma - over 3 weekends during Summer I in Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids, or Fall in Kalamazoo. 
   2. Completion of the 10 hour prerequisite TF-CBT web-based training course:  http://tfcbt.musc.edu.
   3. Interview, and be accepted, at a participating field site.
   4. Enrollment in SWRK 6378: Integrative Seminar in TF-CBT (1credit), to be taken the Fall semester of your concentration year. This integrative seminar includes two full days of intensive training on TF-CBT and a monthly seminar that integrates the variety of TF-CBT experiences (e.g. classroom, readings, research, treatment training and clinical work)
   5. Enrollment in SWRK 6379: Integrative Seminar in Trauma Studies (1 credit), to be taken the Spring semester of your concentration year. This integrative seminar meets monthly during Spring semester and integrates the variety of trauma-informed experiences (e.g. classroom, readings, research, treatment training and clinical work).
   6. Field placement with a field instructor who has been trained in TF-CBT.
   7. Field placement where actual experience with use of the method and expert consultation will be provided.
   8. Implementation of TF-CBT with at least two children during field placement, in addition to other field placement responsibilities.
3.  This internship offers the opportunity to participate in quarterly in-person TF-CBT consultations for field instructors and students.

For more information, please contact Karen VanDeusen at karen.vandeusen@wmich.edu.

For additional information on how to become nationally certified in TF-CBT, see http://tfcbt.org/certification.