Carrie Epstein, LCSW

Carrie Epstein, LCSW-R is the Co-Director of the Yale Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery and has been an Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center since 2010. For over 30 years, Ms. Epstein has been providing treatment, supervision and consultation on providing mental health treatment and on developing new programs for children and families impacted by trauma and traumatic grief. She is recognized both nationally and internationally as an expert in training and consulting in the field of child trauma, traumatic grief and disaster response. Ms. Epstein is the co-developer of the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI), which is currently the only evidence-based trauma-focused mental health treatment for children and families that was specifically developed to be implemented in the peritraumatic phase of trauma response. CFTSI has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing and interrupting PTSD and related disorders. Ms. Epstein is a Master Trainer in both the CFTSI treatment model, as well as in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).

Ms. Epstein has responded to multiple school shootings and other mass casualty disasters across the country. She served as a key coordinator of New York City’s mental health response to the attacks on 9/11 and was a Principal Investigator of a collaborative, multi-site study that was the largest youth trauma project associated with the September 11^th terrorist attack in New York City which was established to deliver evidence-based trauma treatments for impacted children and adolescents. In addition, Ms. Epstein played a lead role in coordinating Yale’s response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in Newtown. She has co-authored numerous publications in support of her work.

Ms. Epstein was the one of the original and organizing Principal Investigators of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and has continued to Co-Chair the NCTSN’s Child Traumatic Grief-Traumatic Separation Committee since its inception in 2001. She has served on the Steering Committee of the NCTSN, as well as act as a regular contributor to the NCTSN’s Terrorism and Disaster Response Committee. Ms. Epstein holds a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University.