The Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress—Treatment Services is located at Kennedy Krieger Institute's 1741 Ashland Avenue location and provides mental health and support services to children, adolescents and families who experience or may be at risk for trauma through physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, domestic and community violence.
Prevention, early intervention, assessment and treatment are part of the continuum of services.
This program is a winner of one of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration's (SAMHSA) 2009 Science and Service Awards in the category of "Treatment of Mental Illness and Recovery Support Services" for its implementation of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, an evidence-based intervention.
Primary Diagnoses Served:
- Adjustment Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Anxiety Disorder
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
- ADHD
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Disruptive Behavior Disorder
- Depression/Depressive Disorder
- Mood Disorder
- Dysthymic Disorder
Clinic-based services offered through the Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress include:
This clinic provides trauma informed and culturally competent mental health treatment services to Latino children and their families who are primarily Spanish-Speaking. Treatment addresses diverse difficulties and complex trauma exposures including sexual abuse, physical abuse, community violence, domestic violence, and stressors related to immigration experiences. Clinicians are fully bilingual and aware of issues that pertain specifically to the mental health treatment of Latino families.
Child-parent psychotherapy, or CPP, is a specialized, evidence-based therapy designed for young children (from birth through 5 years old) who have experienced trauma, such as abuse, neglect, loss or exposure to violence. This treatment involves both the child and their primary caregiver(s) working together with a trained therapist.
Serves families and children ages 3 - 18 who are seeking to improve communication, develop more effective parenting strategies, come to terms with past trauma/major losses and prevent out-of-home placement of special needs children. The clinic specializes in the treatment of families who have experienced inter-generational chronic trauma.
Offers theme-centered groups to help children and adolescents learn new strategies to deal with special concerns. Groups are designed to enhance social and problem solving skills, promote emotional and social development and reduce the effects of trauma. Each child's developmental needs and level of understanding of his/her conflict is carefully considered to match treatment needs with the appropriate group.
Uses evidence-informed practices including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with complex trauma exposures including sexual abuse, physical abuse, community violence, abandonment, neglect, and domestic sex trafficking. High-risk tension reducing behaviors include substance use, non-suicidal self-injury, and elopement.
The Horizons Clinic at the Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress offers compassionate, trauma-informed care for children and teens with developmental disabilities—such as autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities and language disorders—and their families. Our goal is to support healing, emotional well-being and stronger family connections through specialized therapies tailored to each child’s unique needs.
Available for children ages 3 - 18. Both long- and short-term treatment is available to address emotional and behavioral difficulties due to trauma, loss, adoption, out-of-home placements, attention problems/impulsivity, lying, stealing, aggression, attachment, developmental delays, permanency and depression. All treatment includes caregivers and family members in developing treatment plans. Consultations with school, child welfare agencies and courts are also available.
Yoga, movement, mindfulness, HeartMath, biofeedback and other mind body interventions are used for increased self-regulation and improved social functioning with children who have experienced trauma. These approaches are implemented in individual, family and group modalities.
Uses an evidence-based mental health intervention designed to help families make changes that will help ensure a more positive future for parents and children that have been involved in child physical abuse.
Uses an evidence-based treatment model of highly specified, step-by-step, live-coaching sessions with the caregiver and child, ages 2 - 7. Caregivers are taught and coached in relationship building skills using a social learning model and a "bug-in-the-ear" transmitter system, while engaging in developmentally appropriate play with their child. Emphasis is placed on developing positive caregiver-child interaction patterns.
Offered to children and families already in treatment whose capacities for emotional and behavioral self regulation have been impaired by family histories of substance abuse and mental disorders, pre-natal substance exposure, poor pre-natal care, natal complications, post-natal abuse and neglect, exposure to environmental toxins, poor attachment experiences and out of home placements with relatives or foster care.
Provides psychological assessment and consultation to evaluate the cognitive, social and emotional functioning of children ages 6 - 18. This is offered to children and families currently under treatment. Reasons for referral include concerns such as the impact of trauma on development and functioning, behavioral difficulties, appropriate school placements and permanency planning needs.
The SMART Model is a promising practice developed by a team of clinicians at the Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress at Kennedy Krieger Institute. SMART is a structured, phase-based, abuse-focused, treatment approach to address the emotional and behavioral needs of young children, ages 3 through 10, with a history of sexual abuse exhibiting problematic sexual behavior (PSB).
Is a 15 week evidence-supported, multi-family group model aimed at reducing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adult caregivers. SFCR helps families boost their sense of safety and stability, regulate emotions and behaviors, and improve communication about the traumas they have experienced.
Available for children ages 12 - 18. This evidence-based treatment target adolescents who have experienced a single traumatic life event or who live in chronically traumatic environments.
Uses an evidence-based treatment model to help children ages 4 - 18 and their caregivers overcome the negative effects of traumatic life events. Traumas range from sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic or community violence and traumatic grief/loss.