Using the Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma to Strengthen Clinical Knowledge in Evidence-Based Practitioners

Abstract

The high prevalence of trauma exposure in mental health service-seeking populations, combined with advances in evidence-based practice, competency-based training, common-elements research, and adult learning make this an opportune time to train the mental health workforce in trauma competencies. The Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT) utilizes a five-tiered conceptual framework (comprising Empirical Evidence, Core Trauma Concepts, Intervention Objectives, Practice Elements, and Skills), coupled with problem-based learning, to build foundational trauma knowledge and clinical reasoning skills. We present findings from three studies: Study 1 found that social work graduate students’ participation in a CCCT course (N = 1,031) was linked to significant pre–post increases in self-reported confidence in applying core trauma concepts to their clinical work. Study 2 found significant pre–post increases in self-reported conceptual readiness (N = 576) and field readiness (N = 303) among social work graduate students participating in a “Gold Standard Plus” educational model that integrated classroom instruction in core trauma concepts, training in evidence-based trauma treatment (EBTT), and implementation of that EBTT in a supervised field placement. Students ranked the core concepts course as an equivalent or greater contributor to field readiness compared to standard EBTT training. Study 3 used qualitative methods to “distill” common elements (35 intervention objectives, 59 practice elements) from 26 manualized trauma interventions. The CCCT is a promising tool for educating “next-generation” evidence-based practitioners who possess competencies needed to implement modularized, individually tailored trauma interventions by strengthening clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and familiarity with common elements.

Notes

Note. This brief listing of the 12 Core Concepts (without accompanying commentaries) is derived for illustrative purposes only from: NCTSN Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma Task Force (2012). The 12 core concepts: Concepts for understanding traumatic stress responses in children and families. Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma. Los Angeles, CA, and Durham, NC: UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. Do not publish, circulate, or use for any training application. Instead, please use the official draft of the 12 Core Concepts and their full commentaries, available from http://www.nctsn.org/resources/audiences/parents-caregivers/what-iscts/12-core-concepts (a printable PDF version is available from the NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma at http://learn.nctsn.org/).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher M. Layne

Christopher M. Layne is a partner in InteractiveDiscovery, which develops interactive statistical data visualization technology for making evidence-informed decisions.