Join NCA for quarterly discussion calls to exchange ideas with other CACs working with military partners. Join us to share about your collaboration with military partners and learn what other CACs are doing to strengthen services for military families. Each call will include opportunity for highlighting successful practices, discussing challenges, and sharing ideas for improving CAC-military service coordination.  

Calls will take place the second Thursday of January, April, July, and October 2-3pm ET. All CACs are welcome to join calls when they can (attendance at all calls is not required). Please note that calls are live events and will not be recorded. 

This live training with Ashley Fiore, LCSW, includes two required learning sessions; Learning Session 1 is December 5, 6, and 10  from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm EST; Learning Session 2 is one day and will be held Feb 6, 2025, from 11:00am - 5:00pm EST. This will be an interactive and participatory virtual training experience with pre-work and action period assignments that build participants’ skills at implementing TF-CBT with children and families with fidelity and clinical competence. Clinicians will receive a training packet which will be mailed to them, private online access to over 800 downloadable clinical resources for TF-CBT, access to a private TF-CBT Clinical Discussion Forum with other participants and includes 12 group consultation calls.  

Attendees should have an active caseload appropriate for TF-CBT and be ready to apply the model. Supervisors are welcome to attend training; however, if they are not carrying their own active TF-CBT cases, they will not meet criteria to seek national certification.

There is a cap of 50 attendees for this training. You must be paid in full to count toward the participation cap. It is strongly recommended you pay with credit card to ensure your spot is secure. If you plan to pay by check, you must email Jami Bolton, jbolton@nca-online.org, to let us know you are sending a check. The check must be received by Friday November 22, 2024.

If registration is full, this means that our capacity has been met. Please email jbolton@nca-online.org, and we will add you to the waiting list. 

The cost for the training is $450 and includes 12 consultation calls. You may use NCA grant funds for this training. Your spot will not be reserved until payment is received. If you are paying by check, please mail ASAP to ensure your spot. 

To pay by check, select "check" under payment method during check out. After checking out, please save your invoice or email confirmation. 

Mail your check and invoice, payable to National Children's Alliance, to:

National Children's Alliance P.O. Box 71477 Washington, DC 20024 

Your name and TF-CBT Intro must be on the check memo or on a note with your check, otherwise it will not be approved. Do not mail checks to the former NCA office address, please use the PO Box listed above.

The Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) training is appropriate for Master’s level therapists and above or those who are working on a Master’s degree and providing mental health services under the supervision of a licensed professional. TF-CBT has more data (25 + randomized trials and a number of quasi-experimental studies) to support the model’s effectiveness in helping children and families overcome the impact of child abuse and trauma than any other therapy model available. TF-CBT has been recognized by the federal government as a model program and is included on numerous websites for evidence-based practices. 

At the conclusion of this TF-CBT training, participants will be able to: 

•  Evaluate which cases would benefit from TF-CBT and successfully engage families in treatment
•  Create session agendas and structure TF-CBT sessions to meet fidelity standards
•  Explain how to integrate gradual exposure into every TF-CBT session
• Support children and teens in developing skills that enhance coping and symptom reduction in the aftermath of trauma 
• Support caregivers in developing coping skills and parenting strategies for responding to children’s therapeutic needs in the aftermath of trauma 
• Apply and implement the PRACTICE components of TF-CBT with families impacted by trauma 

Upon completion of the virtual training, participants will have most of the requirements for formal certification in TF-CBT (obtained through the Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy National Therapist Certification Program). The Virtual Training and group calls count toward the requirements for national certification in TF-CBT. However, a few additional guidelines for national certification must be met as established by the developers. (For more information, please see www.tfcbt.org). Training participants are required to have a web camera (i.e., on a laptop computer or cell phone) in order to participate in the TF-CBT 4-day training via web-platform. 

The training will be offered over 4 days including:

3-day Learning Session 1: 

Thursday December 5, 2024: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT  

Friday December 6, 2024: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT  

Tuesday December 10, 2024: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT 

1-day Learning Session 2:

Thursday February 6, 2025; 11:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT

Pre-Requisite: TF-CBTWeb *please note that there is a $35 fee that is NOT covered as part of your registration and which is paid to the Medical University of South Carolina through TF-CBTWeb.

Completion of TF-CBT Web2.0 is required as a prerequisite to the virtual TF-CBT training and proof of completion should be submitted to Jami Bolton at NCA 3 days prior to Day 1 of the virtual training.  Email your certificate of completion to jbolton@nca-online.org 

Registration:

To register for this training, you will need an NCA Engage account. If you do not have one, visit NCA Engage Getting Started page for step-by-step instructions to request an NCA Engage account. The account request form will include a field that asks for an Organizational ID number. The Organizational ID number will inform us that the person signing into NCA Engage is employed at or partnered with a member organization. Please email membership@nca-online.org if you need your Organizational ID. If you are not employed at or partnered with a member organization, please enter MH24 as your Organizational ID for non-member access to NCA Engage. Non-member access will provide access to the training. 

 ** As a reminder, if you are paying by check, your training registration is incomplete, and your spot will not be reserved, until your check is received and is manually approved by our staff. Your name and TF-CBT Intro must be on the check memo or on a note with your check, otherwise it will not be approved. Do not mail checks to the former NCA office address, please use the PO Box listed above. 

If you need any disability accommodations for this training, please reach out to Jami Bolton, jbolton@nca-online.org

By registering for this training, I agree to the following:

-I will complete all Pre-training assignments and email proof of my certificate of completion for TF-CBT Web 2.0 to Jami Bolton, jbolton@nca-online.org

-I will provide brief monthly data regarding my caseload to meet funder requirements; this enables NCA to offer training at a reduced rate for trainees

-Successful completion of TF-CBT Training includes: participating in all training activities, including didactic portion and interactive breakout activities and discussions; having my camera on during training and consultation calls; remaining in a stationary, private space during training and consultation; attending and participating in at least 75% of all scheduled group consultation calls (9 of 12), presenting my own TF-CBT treatment case during group consultation twice. 

 For any questions or concerns related to this training, or your participation, please contact Jami Bolton, jbolton@nca-online.org

This introductory webinar covers the basics of implementing the Outcome Measurement System (OMS). Participants will learn about the components of OMS, how to collect feedback surveys from caregivers, youth, and MDT partners, and how to view their survey results in their OMS results dashboard. This is a good webinar for CAC and Chapter staff who are new to OMS, or who have not used OMS in awhile.

This webinar will take place on November 6th from 1:30-3:30pm EST

Many Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country have implemented programs to serve youth with problem sexual behaviors with great success. For CACs that are interested in developing on-site services for this population, questions often arise around concerns related to safety issues that would need to be addressed at the center. This roundtable, comprised of CAC staff who have supported the implementation of PSB programs across the country, will address common questions and concerns related to developing safety policies that support all children who are served at CACs. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask their own questions for the panel to discuss.

Issues that will be discussed include:

• What are important things to consider when defining best practice for developing safety policies to serve children with PSB at CAC?
• What has been the experience with having safety issues with children with PSB?
• What are the behaviors we are concerned about and what have been the experiences of the panelists with those behaviors?
• What have been barriers to setting up programs and ways that they were addressed?

Panel Facilitator: Amelia Siders, Ph.D. Western Regional CAC

Interested in adding Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) to your CAC’s menu of mental health services?  

NCA is offering FIVE CFTSI virtual training opportunities in 2025!

Senior CAC leaders and clinicians are encouraged to attend this call to learn about CFTSI, how it is delivered and the evidence-base that has shown that 73% of children are less likely to meet partial or full criteria for PTSD after CFTSI.  CFTSI is delivered in 5-8 sessions soon after the forensic interview and has been shown to help CACs shorten client length of stay, reduce waiting lists, and allow CACs to serve more children.

CFTSI Informational Call: October 30, 2024, 3:00pm-4:30pm Eastern

Who: Senior Leaders and Clinicians

Cost: Free

Join us for a webinar featuring a key partner in NCA's national military memorandums of understanding. In this webinar, participants will learn about Department of Defense (DOD) Military Community Advocacy (MCA) programs and policies, including the Family Advocacy Program. Topics to be covered will include an overview of the teams that make up MCA, an introduction to the role of the Family Advocacy Program, policy priorities, and more. During the live event, participants will have the opportunity for Q&A and discussion with MCA Director, Lolita Allen. The webinar will be recorded and available for viewing on NCA Engage after the live event.

Join your CAC Executive Director (ED) colleagues for this exciting training opportunity. CAC EDs lead the charge for positioning CACs to meet NCA’s Mental Health Accreditation Standards. Many ED’s do not have a mental health background which can create challenges. NCA is excited to announce this training opportunity for EDs to learn about developing and sustaining high quality mental health programs at your CACs. 

About The Project

A total of 50 Executive Directors from CACs will be accepted into this training. Not only will you learn about mental health, but you will also be able to help shape future iterations of the training through feedback to the trainers. In 2021, NCA convened a Mental Health Standard Revision Committee of 20 individuals from Regional CACs, CACs, and subject-matter experts to make recommendations for the new Mental Health standard that went into effect in January 2023 to support the expanded NCA mission of healing for all children seen at CACs. This training will support CAC Executive Directors in the successful implementation of the 2023 NCA Mental Health standard.

The training will be delivered in three-3 hour live interactive webinars. There will be approximately 1-2 hours of outside work to prepare for the next webinar. It is important that you complete the work between webinars to be an effective participant with your colleagues during the interactive portion of the webinars. 

Training dates:

Three – 3 hour live interactive webinars to be held the following dates from 12:00-3:00PM EST.

• October 23, 2024
• October 30, 2024
• November 20, 2024

What You’ll Learn
Through this training, EDs will learn:

• NCA’s 2023 Mental Health Accreditation Standard and strategies for successful implementation at your CAC.

• Mental Health Roadmap to meeting the Accreditation Standard and providing quality mental health services for children and families served.

• Evidence-Based Treatments (EBTs) recognized by NCA and training requirements.

• Conducting a community-based mental health gap analysis to determine areas of concern in your CAC’s mental health response and what EBT is needed to add to your community/CAC’s menu of services.

• The importance of collecting and documenting of accurate data and how that data can be used to inform service delivery and to seek funding for mental health services.

• The MDT’s role in mental health service delivery.

• The role of the Victim Advocate in engaging children and families in care.

• Mental health collaborations to increase the number of linkage agreements.

• The importance of collaboration between VAs and MH providers in the delivery of mental health services.

• Opportunities to collaborate with other EDs from CACs across the country and to learn about strategies that other CACs are using to successfully meet the NCA MH Accreditation Standard 

If you would like a hard copy of the workbook, please send Jami, jbolton@nca-online.org, your shipping address no later than Friday October 4th

Executive Director Project Requirements

This project is designed for Executive Directors at CAC who are interested in furthering their knowledge about the NCA Mental Health Accreditation Standard, evidence-based practices and planning and sustaining high quality mental health programs. Executive Directors are defined as having a leadership role including responsibility for the outcome of services to children and families served by the CAC. This professional possesses the administrative responsibility within the organization with authority to make systematic changes (policies, procedures, budgeting). NOTE: Senior Leaders who possess the administrative responsibility within the CAC with authority to make system changes (policies, procedures, budgeting) are welcome to register.  

Complete Pre-Work:

• The CAC Directors Mental Health Guide as pre-work: https://www.nctsn.org/resource...  The information in this guide will provide a foundation for this training and can serve as a resource to reinforce learning and the implementation of learning.

• There will be additional resources provided to support learning as well as the implementation of that learning within your CAC and MDT.

Additional Training Requirements:

• Complete tasks between webinars to prepare yourself for the next training.

• Complete training surveys to contribute to strengthening future ED training.

Attendance and interactive participation are necessary to the success of your learning and to support other participants as they seek to learn from each other.

The trainers will be available to answer any questions you might have via email both before and during the training.

This webinar will provide CACs and Chapter staff with an overview of the updates to OMS that will launch in late October.  We will introduce the new, optional OMS Mental Health Services Survey, review updates to the Initial and Follow-up Caregiver Surveys, and review strategies for electronic data collection. Please join us and bring your questions!

Please join us for an introduction to the Medical and Mental Health Disparities project!  This webinar will provide an overview of ways to define and assess services disparities in the Child Advocacy Center Field.  Participants will be introduced to a new tool for evaluating disparities and provided with a demonstration of how the tool can be used to assess for referral and services disparities.

Mass violence incidents are increasing across the United States and appropriate investigative responses are critically important. In this webinar, FBI Child Adolescent Forensic Interviewers will discuss reasons for conducting forensic interviews of victims and witnesses in mass violence investigations, logistical considerations, and suggested techniques when responding to these events. Participants will learn about the importance of conducting forensic interviews for investigative and intelligence-gathering purposes and how presenting various types of evidence in the forensic interview can assist in mass casualty investigations. Opportunity for questions and discussion will follow the presentation.