Bridging the gap: Evaluating the efficacy of racial trauma therapy training for community mental health clinicians.

Objective: Although there is a growing body of literature that discusses the etiology and impact of racial trauma, there are few evidence-based treatment modalities to support BIPOC individuals who have experienced race trauma. Furthermore, current clinicians are ill-equipped to navigate racial trauma symptoms in the therapy due to a dearth in training opportunities during their educational and professional careers. The current study addresses the dearth in racial trauma therapy training opportunities for clinicians through the implementation and evaluation of a training protocol based on the KNIFFLEY Racial Trauma Therapy Model (KRTTM) with community-based clinicians.

Academic Achievement Among a Sample of Youth in Foster Care: The Role of School Connectedness.

Research shows that youth in foster care experience poor academic performance and disciplinary actions in school more frequently than do non-foster care youth. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to further examine youth in foster care and the relationship between individual/intrapersonal factors (future orientation and school connectedness) and exosystem factors (number of placement and school moves) and academic performance (grades) and disciplinary referrals among 363 youth (9-11 years of age; males=52.9%).

Perceived Treatment Needs Among Women With Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders and PTSD.

Objective: Perception of need is a key factor that influences decisions to seek help and complete treatment for substance use and mental health problems. In the current study, we examine patterns of perceived treatment needs among women with co-occurring substance use disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and explore how these patterns are associated with demographics, psychosocial variables, and treatment-related factors.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of the Women and Trauma Study from the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Clinical Trial Network was conducted.

Timely Health Service Utilization of Older Foster Youth by Insurance Type.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a policy change for older foster care youth from a fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid program to health maintenance organization (HMO) providers on the timeliness of first well-child visits (health care physicals).

Methods: A three-year retrospective study using linked administrative data collected by the Michigan Departments of Human Services and Community Health of 1,657 youth, ages 10-20 years, who were in foster care during the 2009-2012 study period was used to examine the odds of receiving a timely well-child visit within the recommended 30-day time frame controlling for race, age, days from foster care entry to Medicaid enrollment, and number of foster care placements.

Results: Youth entering foster care during the HMO period were more likely to receive a timely well-child visit than those in the FFS period (odds ratio, 2.

Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Immigrant Youth Feeling Unsafe in School: A Social-Ecological Analysis.

Despite the increasing proportion of immigrant youth in U.S. school districts, no studies have investigated their perceptions of their school.

School staff perspectives on the challenges and solutions to working with court-involved students.

Background: Court-involved students, such as those in foster care and the juvenile justice system, generally experience high incidences of both acute and chronic trauma, adversely impacting their educational well-being and overall academic trajectory. Utilizing perceptions of teachers and other school staff, this study explores the challenges and needs of school personnel working with this student population.

Methods: Participants were school personnel employed at a Midwest, urban, public charter school during the 2012-2013 academic year.