New $1.7 million grant will support youth affected by trauma

A $1.7 million grant from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network will fund mental health services for children affected by trauma in six elementary schools in Washington state for five years.

A young girl with a sun hat on and a maroon shirt gazes at the sun against the backdrop of a forest with a golden field in front of it.
Rural areas are often isolated from medical care facilities, making treatment more challenging.

“The single greatest public health benefit for children exposed to trauma is to increase opportunities for youth to succeed in schools,” said Natalie Turner-Depue, Interim Director for the Child and Family Research Unit (CAFRU) and the Collaborative Learning for Educational Achievement and Resilience (CLEAR) Trauma Center at Washington State University.

“There is tremendous opportunity to change generations, because we’re learning to understand behavior in a different way, which allows for more effective strategies for helping and healing,” she said.

The project will serve 1,663 students and 200 staff at schools with diverse student populations and high rates of adverse childhood experiences, which can lead to academic and behavioral problems. Rural school districts are often isolated from mental health services, adding additional challenges for treatment.

Program goals include intensive training and support for educators on how trauma impacts learning behavior, targeting skills, resources to support students struggling with the impact of traumatic stress, and providing continuing support for students who may need more resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an added layer of trauma on top of stress that families might already be facing, Turner-Depue said.

Portrait of Natalie Turner
Natalie Turner’s project will involve several schools throughout Washington.

“With all the challenges happening amid the pandemic, it is now more important for us than ever to think about how we were going to reach more kids that are being impacted in ways that we couldn’t really anticipate,” she said.

Mental health clinicians will support students on site so students can meet with mental health professionals without having to travel to a doctor’s office or medical facility.

“We’ve actually found that when you locate services on site, families are more receptive and responsive to receiving treatment because they’re not having to navigate many of the hoops and barriers that often come with outside systems,” said Turner-Depue, who is a licensed mental health counselor.

“What’s good for trauma impacted kids is good for all kids,” she said.

To learn more about CAFRU and CLEAR programming, visit the extension website.