CPCM and USD partner to provide trauma-informed education opportunities
The Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment and the University of South Dakota created two collaborative programs on Child and Adult Advocacy Studies (CAASt).
The inaugural cohort of the CAASt graduate certificate begins in January 2021. Enrollment reached 13 students by the original application deadline of December 1. A subsequent recruitment yielded additional applicants. The certificate includes four courses walking practitioners and those entering the field, through a holistic process of trauma-informed care — from “working directly with the individual and family” to “collaborating with a multidisciplinary response team and engaging in policy advocacy.”
“USD is meeting South Dakota’s needs by preparing professionals for the realities of preventing and responding to maltreatment,” said Dr. Shana Cerny, assistant professor in USD’s Department of Occupational Therapy, and one of the creators of the CAASt certificate. “These professionals will become leaders within our rural, tribal and urban communities by advocating on behalf of the victims and survivors of maltreatment and by engaging in creative solution-building regarding matters of maltreatment in their communities.”
Find more information on the CAASt certificate here: https://www.usd.edu/online-caast
In addition to the certificate, USD and CPCM have partnered to create trauma-informed CAASt webinar training for K-12 educators and staff members. The new sessions, planned for spring and summer 2021, stem from a successful educator training in August that involved 200 people. The 5-hour virtual training will include five different sessions focusing on creating safer school environments, general information on child abuse and neglect, the effects of stress on child development, creating trauma-informed classrooms and school leaders’ response to trauma informed environments. For more information about the trainings contact CPCM Director Carrie Sanderson at [email protected].
