Trauma Competent Clinician® Training

Trauma Competent Clinician Training Dates

1. Part 1 Session 1 -September 1st- Part 1 Session 2-September 3rd

2. Part 2 Session 1-November 3rd -Part 2 Session 2-November 5th

Meeting Description

This training is designed to build trauma-competent skills across three essential domains: foundational knowledge, clinical skills, and the attitudinal conditions that sustain ethical and culturally responsive trauma-informed clinical practice. All content is evidence-informed and grounded in the Trauma Competent Clinician® model developed by Dr. Melinda Paige.

Participants will move through a structured progression that begins with the neurobiology of traumatic stress and the diagnostic landscape of trauma-related presentations, then builds into direct clinical skills such as trauma-sensitive assessment, case conceptualization, intervention, and ethical decision-making. The training closes with a focus on the attitudinal conditions that sustain long-term, culturally responsive trauma-competent practice, including cultural humility, reflective practice, and resilience against secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Domain 1: Knowledge

 1. Articulate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying traumatic stress responses, including the autonomic nervous system and key brain structures involved in trauma processing.

 2. Distinguish among trauma types (acute, chronic, complex, developmental, racial, and intergenerational trauma) and describe their unique clinical presentations, including related diagnostic categories such as PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder.

 3. Define and distinguish trauma-informed care as an organizational and cultural framework from trauma-focused treatment as a direct clinical intervention approach.

 4. Identify and evaluate leading evidence-based models for trauma treatment, including the Trauma Competent Clinician® framework.

 Domain 2: Skills

 5. Administer and interpret evidence-based trauma screening and assessment tools in a manner that prioritizes client safety and minimizes retraumatization.

 6. Construct individualized trauma treatment plans and demonstrate trauma-sensitive clinical skills, including grounding, stabilization, and psychoeducation.

 7. Apply an ethical decision-making framework to common ethical challenges in trauma-informed settings, including boundary issues, duty to warn, informed consent, and dual relationships.

 8. Identify evidence based self care and grounding practices that support provider sustainability and recognize early warning signs of burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

 Domain 3: Attitudinal Conditions

 9. Articulate the relationship between cultural humility, intersectionality, and trauma informed care, and identify how systemic oppression and historical trauma intersect with individual trauma presentation.

 10. Engage in structured reflective practice to increase self awareness, identify countertransference, and support ongoing professional development.

 11. Define and differentiate secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma, and implement proactive resilience building strategies.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

Licensed Professional Counselors:
CEUs will be applied for through the Licensed Professional Counselor Association of Georgia. Participants will be expected to attend each full day.  No partial credit will be issued.

Psychologists/Psychiatrists:
CEUs will be applied for through the Georgia Psychological Association. Participants will be expected to attend each full day. No partial credit will be issued. (CE are being applied for)

PRESENTER BIO

Dr.  Melinda R. Paige earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and an Ed.S in Professional Counseling and has spent the last thirty years serving survivors as a trauma competent clinician.

Dr. Paige is also a clinical mental health counseling professor and subject matter expert for trauma impact and counseling curricula. She is the founder of the Institute for Trauma Competency and developed her Trauma Competent Clinician® model based on her own qualitative research. She is the recipient of the American Counseling Association Professional Development Award, the Chi Sigma Iota International Outstanding Practitioner Award, and the Chi Sigma Iota International Outstanding Faculty Award. Dr. Paige has published and presented nationally on resilience and trauma competency.

 Known for her engaging teaching style, Dr. Paige offers both live and online training and consultation to mental health professionals in competency based trauma mental health, and resilience. Her professional expertise has also made her a sought after media guest, and she has appeared on NPR affiliates and other national media outlets. She is the Founding Secretary of the International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling, a division of the American Counseling Association.

Intended Audience

The training is for clinical staff (therapist, psychiatrist, medical physicians, nurses and peer specialists) with the CSBs and FQHCs. 

ADA Accommodations:

The  Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Office  of Human Resources and Learning is committed to providing access, equal  opportunity, and reasonable accommodation in its educational services,  programs, activities, and employment for individuals with disabilities.

To  request an accommodation to participate in our trainings, please  contact the DBHDD Office of Human Resources & Learning at least 10  days in advance at: 470-656-3397 or email at DBHDDLearning@dbhdd.ga.gov. You can also make your accommodation request via the online registration form.

For more information on these and all of DBHDD's training offerings, please visit DBHDD's website.

See You Soon!!