YCTSR Trauma Clinic
The Yale Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery operates a Trauma Clinic offering a range of treatments and interventions for children, adolescents, and families who are experiencing traumatic reactions and disorders following violent or overwhelming events including:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse and/or assault
- Community and school violence
- Domestic violence
- Dog and other animal attacks
- Motor vehicle crashes
- Unexpected or sudden death of a loved one
- Fires
- Racial trauma
Clinic services
- Acute Consultation Service
- YCTSR clinicians work in collaboration with the New Haven Department of Police Services, the Yale New Haven Hospital, the Department of Children and Families, and other agencies providing first responses to children and families exposed to violence or overwhelming events in their communities, neighborhoods or homes. With a call service that operates 24/7/365 to the New Haven Department of Police Services, YCTSR clinicians are available to respond to the scene or follow-up with families within hours. Primary goals of the acute consultation service are psychological stabilization and engagement into services after a potentially traumatic event (PTE) in an effort to prevent negative long term psychological reactions.
- Peritraumatic Intervention
A distinctive aspect of the YCTSR clinic program is the focus on providing intervention early after a potentially traumatic event (PTE) in an effort to prevent negative long term psychological reactions.
- The Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention
YCTSR clinicians provide the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI), which was developed at the YCTSR. CFTSI is an early, brief intervention (5-8 sessions) for children and adolescents who have experienced a recent traumatic event (i.e., within the past 30 days) or recently disclosed a prior potentially traumatic experience within a forensic setting. CFTSI is currently one of the only treatments available which has been demonstrated to be effective at preventing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related conditions in youth when delivered early after exposure to an upsetting experience. CFTSI clinicians work collaboratively with families to identify trauma symptoms, strengthen parent-child communication, introduce effective coping skills, and enhance family support.
- Longer-term Trauma Treatment
- The YCTSR Trauma Clinic also provides longer-term treatments for children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress reactions and disorders and functional difficulties that result from trauma exposure. Grounded in a developmental perspective, YCTSR clinicians are fluent in psychodynamic approaches to evaluation and treatment, cognitive-behavioral treatments, and other evidence-based trauma-focused treatments. Determinations about modes of treatment are made on a case-by-case basis and in dialogue with a multidisciplinary professional team that includes senior clinicians. Longer-term trauma-focused treatments provided through the YCTSR Trauma Clinic include Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), psychodynamic psychotherapy, and family therapy. Regardless of the nature and type of treatment provided, caregivers are central partners in supporting children's recovery.
- Complex Evaluation, Differential Diagnosis, and Consultation
- Using a multi-disciplinary team approach, the YCTSR Trauma Clinic provides comprehensive evaluations that may include detailed developmental histories, psychological testing, and psychiatric evaluation. A comprehensive diagnostic formulation is essential for treatment planning, particularly when youths’ presenting symptoms are complex.