UCCS wins $3 million grant for childhood trauma curriculum
The Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS, in partnership with Dr. Christopher M. Layne, have received a five-year, $3 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) to expand, disseminate, evaluate, and improve trauma education on a national level.
The “National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative” will run from Oct. 2021 through Sep. 2026. Dr. Layne, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Nova Southeastern University, and a Research Professor with the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, will be the Primary Investigator on the program and lead the establishment of the National Child Trauma Workforce Institute (NCTWI).
The aim of the NCTWI is to adapt and use the Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT) to provide trauma training and education to the national child-serving mental health workforce. This broad dissemination of the CCCT will help to address a pressing national need, given that most mental health workers do not have sufficient training to treat trauma survivors effectively.
Primary aims of the project include increasing trauma response capacity within the U.S. mental health workforce by incorporating the CCCT into psychology (both undergraduate and graduate), child and adolescent psychiatry training, and in-service training of other mental health providers across the country.
The grant will support the formation of key partnerships between NCTWI, the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, the University of Utah, and the leadership of Division 56 (Trauma Psychology) of the American Psychological Association, to adapt and disseminate CCCT. The team expects to develop and distribute at least 12 new trauma training products, train at least 80 new CCCT facilitators, and support the delivery of foundational trauma education to at least 1,500 mental health providers.
About the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS
The Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS is a research institute focused on advancing human resilience to adversity by designing evidence-based solutions through interdisciplinary research, healing therapies, and community training and empowerment. Through scientific discovery and strength-based innovation, the Institute empowers individuals and communities to build resilience and heal from trauma. Learn more about the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience on the UCCS website.