Real Life Heroes Pilot Study: Evaluation of a Treatment Model for Children with Traumatic Stress

Abstract

Real Life Heroes was developed for use in child and family agencies with children with traumatic stress who may lack a safe home and a caring, non-offending parent/guardian. An activity-based workbook and manual assists practitioners to promote safety, understanding of the impact of traumas, attachments, affect modulation, coping skills, and trauma processing. This pilot study included 41 children, caregivers, and clinicians. Results from data collected after a four month interval indicated significant reduction in child self-reports of trauma symptoms and reduced problem behaviors on caregiver checklists. Results from data collected after a 12 month interval included a reduction in parent reports of trauma symptoms for children who received more of the intervention and increased security/attachment to caregivers over time.

Keywords:

• traumatic stress
• neglect
• abuse
• attachment
• homebased family counseling
• foster family care
• residential treatment
• post traumatic treatment disorder

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful for the support of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network for funding this project. Research on the Real Life Heroes model and development of this manual was supported in part under grant number 1U70 SM54276–01 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS. This study would not have been possible without the support of staff and administrators of Parsons Child and Family Center and the practitioners who shared their experiences and wisdom to improve the model and help the children and families served. Practitioners included Carrie Blanchard, Julie Bouse, Melissa Brinkman, Cheryl Brown-Merrick, Laurie Gendron, Christi Hart, Jennifer LeMay, Sandy Miles, Alaina Mormile, Sydney Mullin, Mary Purdy, Lynne Ross, Janice Slavik, Danielle Stokely, Peg Sutton, Marian Truax, and Heather Verkade. Special thanks to Joe Benamati, Director of Parsons Child Trauma Study Center; Amy Scheele, Administrative Assistant for the Study Center; Robin Sorriento, Director of Prevention; Karen Clark, Director of Residential Treatment; Mike Donahue, Director of Foster Family Care; Diane Rosenbaum-Weisz, Director of the Child and Family Guidance Clinic; David Cook, Director of Quality Improvement; Richard Johnson, Chief Operating Officer; Sudha Hunziker, Associate Executive Director; Tom Luzzi, Chief Financial Officer; and Ray Schimmer, Executive Director for administrative support of this project.

Notes

1. To increase fidelity and consistency, the Real Life Heroes Practitioner Manual was expanded to highlight essential elements with bulleted Checkpoints, Pitfalls, expanded Troubleshooting sections for each chapter a Brief Assessment Guide for Attachment and Trauma-centered Service Planning, and a check-off session report for implementing the structured session format.