Trauma-Informed Practices With Children and Adolescents

by William Steele

Each domain is assessed using a combination of behavioral observation, caregiver report, collateral report (i.e., teachers, child welfare workers, etc.), and standardized measures completed by the caregiver and/or child, as applicable. These domains are combined to create the Unique Client Picture. The Unique Client Picture plays a critical role in determining how the clinician may best work with the child and the family.

The development of the CTAC transdisciplinary assessment model combined diverse professional expertise with current research on complex trauma, attachment, and brain development. It has been used extensively to evaluate children who have been mal-treated, in foster care, and in residential and home-based settings.

The CTAC assessment process addresses five primary domains: physical/medical, developmental, social/family, emotional/behavioral, and trauma. Ethnographic interviewing, standardized instruments, CTAC-developed tools, behavioral questionnaires, and a psychosocial interview provide a wealth of information on the children’s current status/functioning within each of the domains

the assessment of traumatized children takes patience, a good understanding of the limitations of each tool, and the realization that outcome data must be interpreted within the context of the child’s history, environment, and experiences.