Frequently Asked Questions About
The Child Traumatic Stress Program
More Information:
Many people have asked us how the Child Traumatic Stress Virtual Program Center (CTS-VPC) works, what they will do, and what they will get from it. Below, in question and answer format, are details about how you and/or your organization might participate.
Q: What is a Virtual Program Center or VPC?
A: A Virtual Program Center, VPC for short, is just like other program and technical assistance centers except that its “front door” is virtual. That is, it is online.
Q: Who can use the Child Traumatic Stress VPC?
A: The CTS-VPC is open to individuals and organizations serving children including health and mental health facilities, schools, faith-based organizations, etc. To participate, you need to be located in or serve predominantly rural, frontier and/or Tribal peoples.
Q: Is this a research project? Will I have to take psychological tests if I participate?
A: This project is a combination of service provision and evaluation. We provide you with training and technical assistance. In exchange, we ask that you complete assessments each quarter that will take about 15 minutes. The assessments will be anonymous and we will not report your individual answers to anyone.
Q: Are there other data that are collected?
A: If you decide to participate in the complete training and technical assistance program, we will conduct a needs and resources assessment of your organization. The assessment is called the Health Services System Environmental Scan (HSSES, pronounced Hess). The data from the HSSES will be used to create an individualized report and plan for your site. Individually identifying data about your site will not be released to the public. Data may be reported in aggregate across multiple sites.
Q: I am a clinician in a solo practice, and I have very little time but I would like to learn more about assessments and treatments for children and their families who have experienced traumatic stress.
A: If you want to participate as an individual, the Child Traumatic Stress Virtual Program Center has links to information about assessments, interventions, and administration and health services systems. You can go to the site and review these options for yourself and select topics that you think might be helpful and follow up on your own. If you click here, you can see a path diagram that shows you a sample pathway for self-accessed technical assistance.
Q: We want to have organization-level training and technical assistance. What would that be like?
A: If you would like to participate as an organization, make sure that your colleagues want to participate. Here is a sample pathway for using staffed, organization-level technical assistance.
Q: So, we have decided that we want to participate as an organization, how do we do that?
A:To participate as an organization, have all the members who are interested get a username and password at the CTS-VPC (http://childts.isu.edu/subscribe.php). One person, acting for the group, can request training and complete the Self-Report Health Services Systems Environmental Scan (Self-Report HSSES).
Q: What if I talk to my colleagues and they don’t want to participate as an organization?
A: If your colleagues do not want to participate as an organization, we suggest you participate as an individual. If, after reviewing the CTS-VPC, you need more assistance with accessing training and technical assistance, complete the request for training and the self-report HSSES and we will be in contact to see what we can work out together to meet your needs.
Q: What does the HSSES look like?
A: The HSSES is a two step assessment. The first step is the self-report form that you complete when you request training and technical assistance. Once accepted into the program, we will complete a structured interview that will help us learn more about your site and your community.
Q: What if I don’t know the answers to your questions on the HSSES?
A: We do not expect everyone to know all the answers on the HSSES. For example, many people do not know much about the census demographics of their area. We have specialty staff at our Center who can either obtain or help you obtain that information.
Q: OK, I understand how the HSSES works, what is the next step?
A: After we have finished the HSSES, our Center faculty and staff will create a report for you that summarizes the information we have learned and our suggestions to strengthened in your program. Here are two sample reports. Sample Report 1. Sample Report 2.
Q: What happens after we get our report?
A: You may choose to use your report on your own, or you may choose to work with our Center faculty and staff to develop a plan to strengthen your site. Many times, there are more areas of potential change than you may want to address at one time. Working collaboratively, we can help you select items to address in immediate, near-term. and long-term objectives.
Q: How do you decide what suggestions to make?
A: Most sites are pretty clear about what problems they may have. We typically work with sites to address what they have identified.
Q: What sorts of suggestions might you make?
A: Sometimes we will suggest free training in child traumatic stress assessments for your clinical staff. We may also suggest training in specific treatments known to work with child traumatic stress. Other times, we might offer suggestions about how to improve your facility’s income, reimbursement, or participation in programs to strengthen your financial basis. We work across all types of areas, including assessment, interventions, and administration and health services systems.
Q: OK, I understand how this works for health and mental health clinics, but we are a school, how does it work for us?
A: The HSSES is pretty general about your organization and your geographic region. We will adapt how we ask questions, for example, rather than asking about clinicians, we may ask about teachers. We have training and technical assistance specifically designed for schools. Once you obtain a username and password, you will be able to browse the programs we have for schools.
Q: OK, now we know about schools and clinics, what about communities and faith based organizations?
A: We adapt the HSSES similarly to what we do with schools so that it makes sense for your organization. Like schools, we have interventions designed for communities and interventions that can be used by faith-based organizations. We may also be able to help you find assistance in staffing or other administrative needs for your organization.
Q: This sounds good. What do I do next?
A: You will need to go to the “sign up page” and get a user name and password. At that time, you will be presented with the opportunity to participate in our data collection. You do not have to provide data, but we hope you will. With your help, we can learn how to make the CTS-VPC more effective. We can also use the data to show why a Center like ours should be funded so that it can continue to provide TTA
Q: Will we do all this by e-mail, videoconference and telephone?
A: Typically, we will do all of our work by e-mail, videoconference and telephone. We want to do this because we want to know if it is possible to use telecommunications technology to provide support to rural, frontier, and Tribal sites around the country.
Q: Will we ever meet in person?
A: In some rare cases, we may visit you, or you may visit us. For example, if we have a conference meeting close to your site, we may ask if you would like to meet in person. Alternately, if a staff member from your site is attending the same conference as our faculty and staff, we might arrange an informal meeting.
Q: I have some questions that have not been answered here, what can I do?
A: You can write to us at childts@isu.edu and we will reply.
Q: What is the Institute of Rural Health and what is its relationship to the NCTSN-CRFTH?
A: The NCTSN-CRFTH is a grant-funded project that is housed at the Institute of Rural Health, which is located at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.
Q: Do you have a phone number I can call?
A: In order not to frustrate you, and because of the volume of requests, we initiate contact and schedule appointments by e-mail (childts@isu.edu). If you do not have e-mail, you can send us a fax at 208.282.4074 or a letter at Institute of Rural Health, Idaho State University, Campus Box, 8174, Pocatello, ID, 83209.
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