CEBC Webinar with

Dr. Benjamin E. Saunders

"So Much Trauma, So Many Interventions: How Do We Choose?" 

The good news for the child trauma field is that there are now a variety of well-supported interventions available that have proven to be effective in reducing trauma-related emotional and behavioral difficulties. This wealth of effective treatment choices brings a new problem, how do we select the best intervention or set of interventions for a particular case?  This presentation will first review many of the trauma interventions ranked highly for their effectiveness in the CEBC as well as several important promising practices. Characteristics such as the target populations, target problems, length of treatment, intervention components and quality of supporting research will be discussed.  Second, guiding principles for developing an evidence-based treatment plan grounded in assessment findings, selecting the most appropriate interventions, avoiding intervention overload, and staging interventions over time will be discussed. Finally, advantages and disadvantages of tailored components-based intervention systems vs. treatment models will be discussed. 

By the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Know the fundamental characteristics of the most important evidence-based trauma treatments now available.
• Be able to use the Evidence-Based Treatment Planning framework.
• Be able to apply basic guiding principles in selecting and staging evidence-based trauma treatments for their individual clients.
• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of component-based intervention systems vs. treatment models. 

Benjamin E. Saunders, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. There he serves as the Associate Director of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center and as Director of the NCVC’s Family and Child Program.  Dr. Saunders received his Ph.D. in clinical social work from Florida State University in 1982; a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Virginia Tech in 1979; and a B.A., in religious studies from the University of South Florida in 1977. He is a Licensed Independent Social Worker-Clinical Practice, a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work.

His research, training, and clinical interests include the initial and long term impact of violence and abuse on children and adolescents; the epidemiology of trauma, violence, and abuse; treatment approaches for abused children and their families; and effective methods for disseminating and implementing evidence supported interventions in community service agencies. His work has been funded by multiple federal, state and private agencies, including the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute of Justice.

In 2001 Dr. Saunders received the Research Career Achievement Award from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. Currently, Dr. Saunders directs several projects concerned with implementing evidence supported interventions in front-line community service organizations.  In addition to his research and teaching activities, Dr. Saunders provides clinical supervision, consultation, training, and program consultation concerning mental health treatment of abused children and their families, and is a frequent lecturer and trainer at national and international conferences.

Click below to register for this FREE Webinar hosted by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse