treatment

Evidence Based Interventions for Culturally Appropriate Treatment
for American Indian/Alaska Native Children

The Indian Country Child Trauma Center offers a training program to provide specialized training to mental health and behavioral health professionals working in Indian Country. The training in the Honoring Children Series are specific to Native populations and the unique characteristics of tribal people.

Honoring Children, Making Relatives - Cultural adaptation of Parent Child Interaction Therapy.
Honoring Children, Making Relatives incorporates American Indian and Alaskan Native philosophies into the basic concepts of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Included in the curriculum are the issues of implementation and dissemination of evidence-based interventions in rural and/or isolated tribal communities with limited licensed professionals. Procedures are in place for assisting, measuring and monitoring the skills acquisition and treatment fidelity for rural/isolated or reservation based therapist-trainees. Online video consultation is used in the live remote real time coaching sessions to overcome the issue of distance and time constraints. This treatment is appropriate for children between the ages of 3 to 7 years of age.

Honoring Children, Mending the Circle - Cultural adaptation of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy
This model combines trauma-sensitive interventions with elements of cognitive behavioral therapy into a treatment designed to address the unique needs of children with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other problems related to traumatic life experiences. It is appropriate for most types of trauma and for children up to the age of 18.

Honoring Children, Respectful Ways - Cultural adaptation of Treatment for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems
This therapy is appropriate for children between the ages of 3-12 years of age who have experienced traumas of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and violence in the family. Inappropriate sexual behaviors of AI/AN children and youth can have wide ranging impact on not only the children but also can significantly affect the family, the extended family, and the community, and can result in serious negative social consequences.

Honoring Children, Honoring the Future - American Indian LIfe Skills Development Curriculum, a suicide prevention curriculum for middle and high school students. It was the only evidence-based suicide prevention program in Indian Country that has been recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2005 as a SAMHSA program of excellence. ICCTC has assisted the author to modify the curriculum for middle schools students and Boys and Girls Clubs in Indian Country.

Requirements for
Clinical Team Training in
The Honoring Children Series

It is required that the training team consist of a minimum of three individuals with at least one person having 3 years experience in working with children; one must be licensed and a service provider; one must be an administrator (attendance can be less than the full week); and one can be at the paraprofessional therapeutic level.

Prior to application, participants must complete the 10 hour training for the online
Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy developed by Dr. Ben Suanders at the Medical University of South Carolina. All new participants must register to log on to the exercise modules. This can be stopped and started as many times as necessary to complete the training. This will provide the applicant with a good understanding of trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy prior to training.

Each team application should include the following:

Letters of intent from each team with a statement of commitment and the kinds of cases that have not been treated due to lack of training ;

A letter of commitment from the program administrator specifically stating the team application is supported and that all the applicants as a team are permitted to participate in the training for the duration of training;

A letter of support from the tribal or IHS governing entity stating the team application is supported and are all permitted to participate in the training for the duration of the training, that the agency supports the requirements as outlined above, and will allow time and expenses for the implementation of the treatment at their service area;

A written commitment that the agency will sign a Memorandum of Agreement with
the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the agency;

A sample plan for implementation (draft);
A copy of licensure for all licensed professionals applying;
A current vitae for each team members;
A contact information sheet and needs assessment;

A signed Memorandum of Agreement by the agency and/or employer attesting to, “the ICCTC will be reimbursed by the agency for individually training expenses if the trainee/employee is unable to establish the implementation plan due to termination, change in positions, or other circumstances, within a six month period.”

A signed statement by the agency attesting to “if the agency is unable to implement the training plan within 3 months of the training, the agency understands the site will be dropped from participating and training funds will be reimbursed to ICCTC on a negotiated rate.”

For additional information, please contact Janie Braden at (405) 271-8858 or email janie-braden@ouhsc.edu.