Research In Action

Following a stressful experience such as an injury, a scary new diagnosis, or a difficult medical event, traumatic stress can be caused by a loss of a sense of control and personal safety and by feelings of fear and helplessness. Children are especially vulnerable to the loss of safety that a medical experience may bring. Age and developmental stage impact how children understand illness, injury, and treatment, as well as their range of coping strategies. Both children and their family members can experience medical traumatic stress as a result of this potentially traumatic experience or diagnosis. 

On March 27th from 12-1pm EDT, the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress will host a free webinar, “How to Support Families Coping with Medical Trauma: An Introduction for Mental Health Providers.” This webinar will provide a foundation for mental health providers working with this population both within and outside of healthcare settings. 

Many mental health professionals may be knowledgeable about child trauma as related to child abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence, and may find it helpful to become more familiar with medical traumatic stress, as it has some distinct characteristics that may have implications for psychosocial intervention. 

For providers working in private practice or community mental health, this webinar will discuss the nuances of medical trauma and describe best practices for assessing and working with families in mental health treatment. 

For psychosocial professionals embedded in the healthcare system, this webinar will identify screening tools and available interventions when considering the role of trauma for families experiencing medical events. 

This webinar will also discuss when providers should consider seeking additional consultation and recommend strategies for collaborating with healthcare teams. 

After attending this session, participants will be able to: 

• Identify areas of expertise required to support families experiencing pediatric medical traumatic stress
• Describe best practices for engaging these families in mental health treatment and name trauma-informed interventions 
• Recognize ways to collaborate with other members of patient/family’s care team

This webinar is free and open to the public. Continuing education credits will be available to social workers and psychologists. 

Click here to register for the webinar. 

For more information about traumatic stress research at CHOP, click here.