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    • Training Programs
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    • RLH Residential Treatment
    • RLH Book Reviews
    • Training Evaluations
  • Home
  • Training Programs
  • RLH Endorsements
  • Trainer Bio
  • RLH Treatment Model
  • RLH Research
  • RLH Residential Treatment
  • RLH Book Reviews
  • Training Evaluations

'RELATIONAL HEALING FOR RELATIONAL TRAUMA'

'RELATIONAL HEALING FOR RELATIONAL TRAUMA''RELATIONAL HEALING FOR RELATIONAL TRAUMA'

Real Life Heroes Training Programs


RLH ON-DEMAND TRAINING IS NOW AVAILABLE WITH NCTSN GRANT-FUNDING FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF PROGRAMS, THERAPISTS, SUPERVISORS AND PROGRAM DIRECTORS SERVING YOUTHS AND FAMILIES WITH COMPLEX TRAUMA


VIDEO-STREAMED LIVE OR IN PERSON RLH TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE

RLH INDIVIDUAL APPLICATION for RLH On-Demand- (Adelphi CTTI Grant-funded Training )- 1.2 (locked) copy (doc)Download
RLH TEAM APPLICATION-(Adelphi CTTI Grant-funded Training)- 1.5 (locked) copy (doc)Download
RLH Training Programs 2023 (pdf)Download

REAL LIFE HEROES FUNDAMENTALS

RLH Fundamentals Training Programs were developed to expand engagement

and inclusion in evidence-supported complex trauma treatment and provide therapists

with easily accessible tools that combine creative arts, improv, yoga, movement, and

storytelling with the imagery of the ‘hero’s journey’ in a flexible format that can be easily

adapted for diverse youths and families. Tools and activities link youths and

parents/caregivers to strengths in their families and cultural heritage, promote

development of affect modulation skills, strengthen (or build) emotionally supportive

relationships, and promote trauma memory re-integration.


RLH Fundamentals provides therapists with a trauma and resiliency-focused toolkit,

demonstrations, guided practice, consultation groups, and supervisory and directorlevel

consultations. These are ‘how-to’ training programs that enable therapists and

program leaders to implement evidence-supported treatment for complex trauma and

Developmental Trauma Disorder with youths and families who have experienced abuse,

neglect, family violence, historical traumas, losses, illness, or placements into foster

families, juvenile justice, refugee, residential, hospital or school-based programs.


Participants typically receive copies of RLH books and tools and have an opportunity in

workshops to practice use of the RLH developmental, trauma and resiliency-focused

assessment and service plan, session structure, and the Real Life Heroes Life Storybook,

3rd ed., including developing implementation plans for use with youths and families they

are working with. Workshops also include discussion and development of strategies for

managing challenges often encountered as well as adaptations to engage diverse youths

and families and implementation in a wide range of programs.


RLH in-person and video-streamed training programs are adapted for each organization

to match priorities, available time, previous training, and organizational objectives.

Training programs utilize learning collaborative principles for effective training

implementation endorsed by the NCTSN. RLH Fundamentals Training Programs1

typically involve 18 hours of workshops scheduled at optimal times for each

organization, 10 hours of small group consultation (4-8 participants per group meeting

once a month), and 5 hours of supervisory and organizational consultation for program

directors and supervisors. A 6-hour advanced workshop is also available and is focused

on organizational needs and goals.

Looking for a self-paced curriculum for expanding engagementand inclusion of high-risk youths and families, a cost-effectivemeans for infusing and sustaining evidence-supported complextrauma therapy in treatment centers, a crash course in Real LifeHeroes, or an easily accessible toolkit with video guidance forsession preparation?  Please check out RLH On Demand below.

RLH ON DEMAND

RLH On Demand was developed to provide training on complex trauma treatment for

treatment centers experiencing high turn-over and challenges freeing therapists for

scheduled training programs. This program includes the RLH Fundamentals curriculum

and is available for beginning and advanced practitioners at times that best match their

schedules through-out the year on a laptop or mobile device. RLH On-Demand allows

therapists to focus their time on learning how to use the RLH framework and tools that

will be most helpful for their work. This is a practice-focused training program that

helps therapists build on previous training in trauma treatment and begin planning

implementation from the first training module.


RLH On Demand draws from implementation and adult learning research and builds

sequentially beginning with a theoretical and research foundation for attachment and

resiliency-focused complex trauma therapy followed by initial messages to youths and

parents/caregivers, assessments, service planning, fidelity checks and chapter-bychapter

implementation of the RLH Life Storybook. The curriculum is matched to

NCTSN’s recommended ‘best practices’ for child welfare and phase-based complex

trauma treatment and can be used to supplement other evidence-supported trauma

treatment models, e.g., ITCT, ARC, SPARCS, TST, TF-CBT.


Each RLH On-Demand training module includes video and slide presentations, brief

quizzes, therapist reflections and practice activities designed to help therapists become

comfortable implementing tools and activities so they can focus in therapy sessions on

adapting material to increase and sustain engagement. Reflections are designed to

promote therapist growth, use of self in therapy and prevention of secondary PTSD.

Modules are accompanied by PowerPoint handouts that can be used as reference guides

as well as downloadable tools and worksheets that guide implementation. RLH On-

Demand can be used by professionals working alone or in teams. RLH On- Demand can

also be supplemented by small clinical consultation groups as well as

supervisor/director consultation to promote application in a wide range of programs

and with diverse children, adolescents, and families.


RLH On-Demand is now available at:

https://reallifeheroes.thinkific.com/courses/real-life-heroes-fundamentals-resiliencyfocused-

therapy-for-complex-traumas Applications for a limited number of

grant-funded registrations for program teams and individual therapists are

described below (see p. 13)..

Objectives

Participant & Organizational Objectives

After completion of RLH Training Programs, therapists working with youths and

families with complex trauma/Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) will demonstrate

increased understanding and abilities to:

¨ Access and implement an evidence-supported, trauma and resiliency-focused

treatment program with adaptations for diverse families and a wide range of

behavioral health, child and family service, school-based, justice-involved and

refugee programs.

¨ Assess feelings, self and co-regulation for youths and parents/caregivers within

primary relationships, levels of safety and emotional support in primary

relationships, uncover openings for engagement of youths and

parents/caregivers, increase skills for self and co-regulation of feelings, promote

safety for youths and families, strengthen youth and parent/caregiver attunement

and trust, promote coping skills to manage stressful events, reduce traumatic

stress reactions to reminders of traumas, help youths and parents/caregivers

overcome feelings of shame and develop a positive self-image for each family

member connected to their heritage.

¨ Engage and empower parents/caregivers to understand the impact of traumas on

their children and their own lives, to learn how to prevent or reduce trauma

reactions and to become the heroes youths need to restore safety and rebuild (or

build) emotionally supportive relationships.

¨ Match treatment interventions to a youth’s emotional and cognitive development,

level of self- and co-regulation, chronicity of traumas and level of security and

emotional support of primary youth-parent/caregiver relationships.

¨ Utilize life story work to help youths and their parents/caregivers to develop

stronger identities linked to their families and cultural heritage including lessons

learned from living through past and ongoing adversity e.g. , discrimination,

racism, community violence as well as relational traumas.


Organizational objectives include:

¨ High rates of therapist implementation of RLH core components, Life Storybook

chapters and Toolkit resources, e.g. Circles of Caring, My Thermometers, SOS

for Stress, Moving Through Tough Times, with 2-4 youths and families

beginning the first weeks after the initial workshop and optimally 10 youths and

families in the first year.

¨ Sustained implementation of RLH core components and NCTSN ‘best practice’

recommendations by therapists after completion of training programs with all

youths and families who have complex trauma/DTD.

¨ Sustained implementation of chapters from the RLH Life Storybook and RLH

Toolkit resources, e.g. Circles of Caring, My Thermometers, SOS for Stress,

Youth and Parent/Caregiver Power Plans, Moving Through Tough Times, after

completion of training with youths and families who have complex trauma/DTD.

¨ Continuation of learning communities initiated or involved in RLH training

including exploration of trauma and resiliency-focused treatment strategies,

adaptations for youths and families served and prevention of Secondary PTSD for

therapists and caregivers.

RLH FUNDAMENTALS CURRICULUM

RLH FUNDAMENTALS CURRICULUM


RLH Fundamentals Training Programs cover:

I.  Resiliency-Focused Therapy for Complex Trauma and Developmental Trauma Disorder 

¨  The impact and experience of chronic complex trauma/DTD

¨  The challenge of engagement, retention & inclusion

¨  Recommended ‘best practice’ treatment components 

¨  Using RLH core components, Life Storybook chapters and fidelity guides to address ‘best practice’ components 

¨  Creating opportunities for parents/caregivers and youths to practice attunement and build or strengthen trust with drawing, rhythm, music, yoga and story-telling using the RLH Session Structure, RLH Toolkit Chapter by Chapter guides, Chapter Checkpoints, Pitfalls, Adaptations, Troubleshooting, assessment and chapter by chapter activity worksheets

¨  Clinic-based youth & parent illustrations

¨  Practice implications from RLH research 

¨  Feedback from youths and parents/caregivers about RLH


II.  Starting the Journey: Expanding Engagement and Inclusion with Resiliency-focused Assessments and Collaborative Service Planning 

¨  Building on ‘the hero’s journey’ to restore hope and Transforming therapy into a journey

¨  Opening messages to create realistic hope and demonstrate respect for youths and parents/caregivers coping with adversity

¨  Looking for strengths and resources in the youth, family, their cultural heritage and community

¨  Avoiding shame-inducing messages and diagnostic terms

¨  Using the Circles of Caring and My Thermometers to assess youths and parents/caregivers’ relationships, emotional functioning and regulation within relationships 

¨  Assessing attachments, arousal, and developmental levels 

¨  Utilizing transference and countertransference as clues to unlock stuck relationships

¨  Multi-dimensional assessment of chronic complex trauma

¨  Youths as wounded angels guiding us to unresolved pain

¨  Prioritizing trauma & resiliency-focused treatment to increase engagement

¨  Utilizing RLH core components in assessments and service planning, 

¨  RTC illustration; 17-year old youth and her family 

¨  RLH Assessment & Service Plan for a youth and family identified by practitioner

¨  Option: application to 14-year old assessment


III.  Developing Emotionally Supportive Relationships, Self- and Co-Regulation Skills to Manage Stressors: RLH Phase I Implementation (RLH Life Storybook Chapters 1-8)


Chapters 1-2 

¨  Introducing the Life Storybook and session structure to youths and parents/caregivers

¨  Restoring hope and curiosity with a little magic

¨  Engaging and enhancing youth-parent/caregiver attunement and empathy with rhythm, music, yoga and movement activities 

¨  Trauma and resiliency psychoeducation to empower youths and parents/caregivers: introduction to neural development, understanding traumatic stress reactions and how developing affect modulation skills, strengthening emotionally supportive relationships and changing interactive behavior patterns can help 

¨  Changing trauma triggers into opportunities for emotional development with Four-Step Parent/Caregiver Responses to reduce or prevent traumatic stress reactions 

¨  Learning and practicing SOS for Stress and using the Safety First Card

¨  Building capacity for recognizing and expressing emotions

¨  Utilizing three-chapter storytelling with feelings


Chapters 3-4

¨  Identifying heroes to inspire skill-building and relationships 

¨  Understanding how heroes work together, seek help and help others

¨  Developing youth and parent/caregiver Power Plans to change trauma reaction patterns 

¨  17-year old RTC youth Power Plan & Action Cycles

¨  Using The Hero’s Challenge to promote skill-building and developing relationships


Chapters 5-6

¨  Identifying and strengthening primary family relationships over time

¨  Important people and resources; finding and building relationships with mentors, friends, educators, clergy, coaches and other skill-builders

¨  Using ‘improv’ to promote sharing and build or strengthen youth-parent/caregiver relationships

¨  Day treatment 12-year old building interactive support case example


Chapter 7

¨  Strengthening self and co-regulation with Mind Power (mindfulness skill-building)

¨  Creating Safe place/Safe relationship drawings and multi-modal stories including attachment-centered Resiliency Shields


Chapter 8

¨  Changing the Story (CBT moviemaking exercise for traumatic stress reactions)

¨  Day Treatment 14-year old Example of Abbreviated Case; Changing the Cycle

IV.  Moving Through Tough Times, Building a Stronger Identity: RLH Phase II Life Story Integration (RLH Life Storybook Chapters 9-12)


Chapter 9

¨  Creating a Life Roadmap

¨  Organizing a Chronological Life Story including transitions and Timeline 

¨  Understanding how trauma experience integration works


Chapter 10

¨  Applying resiliency-focused trauma experience integration principles

¨  Trauma experience integration with Five-chapter multi-modal storytelling

¨  Managing regrets and shame; apologizing and making restitution

¨  Integration of principles and strategies from CPP, TF-CBT, Progressive Counting & Nightmare 

Rehearsal Therapy

¨  Application to RTC 17-year old

¨  Application to Day Treatment 12-year old


Chapter 11

¨  Highlighting a future building on talents and interests

¨  Enhancing a strength-oriented identity (pride) including how the youth and parents/caregivers help others, protect each other and manage stressors

¨  Identifying nurturing and supportive relationships to grow and maintain


Chapter 12

¨  Creating an integrated strength-based life story in words, art, music or videos

¨  Helping other youths and families going through hard times and traumas (sharing wisdom and skills learned)

Advanced workshop modules address developing strategies for challenges to trauma treatment along with critical issues in trauma treatment identified in each organization.


V.  Caregiver Engagement, Power, & Resilience 

¨  Principles, strategies and practice tips designed to engage  parents/caregivers based on attachment, trauma and resiliency research, initial messages to demonstrate authentic respect

¨  Engaging parents/caregivers as heroes with authentic respect recognizing what they have done to help their families survive adversity

¨  Building on parents/caregivers’ caring and wishes for their children to re-attune, restore or strengthen positive interactions, and help youths and themselves co-regulate intense feelings

¨  Creating heroes teams including parents/caregivers as family leaders

¨  Using SOS for Stress with parents/caregivers

¨  Empowering parents/caregivers to restore safety and use an enhanced understanding of neurobiology, repeated family interactions and the power of attuned, committed parenting to change repeated trauma reaction cycles and testing of changes by youths

¨  Helping parents/caregivers understand and use what they have learned from their own experiences with adversity and traumatic stress

¨  Finding respectful ways for parents/caregivers to accept youths’ experiences, acknowledge their own mistakes, apologize when appropriate, and make lasting changes


VI.  Prevention of Secondary Traumatic Stress for Caregivers and Therapists 

¨  Assessment of practitioner and caregiver Secondary PTSD and compassion fatigue

¨  Principles, strategies, and practice tips to prevent secondary PTSD or burn-out by organizations, teams, therapists and caregivers

¨  Putting principles into daily action


VII.  Adaptations

¨  Engaging and sustaining engagement with older youths, building on talents, passions and caring, promoting positive relationships and role transitions, rebuilding positive connections to youths’ cultural heritage

¨  Recognizing and building on strengths and reducing stress in highly stressed foster and adoptive families, building on caring and commitment, accepting loss and grief, preventing and reducing traumatic stress reactions

¨  Recognizing and building on strengths and finding ways to promote youths reaching their potential in families with neuro-atypical youths or youths with intellectual deficits

¨  Working with refugee youths and families, living with uncertainty, respecting cultural norms, building on strengths, connections and cultural heritage


Small group consultation sessions include: 

¨  Practice strategies, tips, and checkpoints matched to each chapter, moving through the RLH Life Storybook

¨  Youth and family-focused consultation using the RLH Trauma & Resiliency-focused Assessment & Service Plan with practitioner families

¨  Identification of challenges for trauma treatment and development of strategies for model adaptation to overcome challenges

¨  Implementation by therapists and programs with diverse families and programs. 


Consultation with supervisors and directors addresses: 

¨  Pre-training assessments

¨  Development of training programs

¨  Coordination of workshops and consultation

¨  Trauma and resiliency-focused supervision

¨  Use of fidelity tools

¨  Identification of challenges for therapists and programs

¨  Development of strategies to overcome challenges

¨  Infusion of trauma and resiliency-focused treatment into organizational policies and procedures

¨  Sustaining implementation after training 


Organizational consultation is also available including: 

¨  Review of program and organizational challenges

¨  Identification of organizational priorities

¨  Creating a learning community

¨  Integration of resiliency and trauma-informed services

¨  Fidelity monitoring

¨  Development of strategies to overcome challenges

¨  Infusion of trauma and resiliency-focused treatment into organizational policies

¨  Sustaining resiliency and trauma-focused treatment



TRAINING PARTICIPANTS AND EVALUATION FEEDBACK

Participants in RLH Training Programs

Participants in RLH training programs are typically social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors working in behavioral health, child and family services, and educational programs serving children and families. Most practitioners in RLH training programs have had previous training in trauma treatment, e.g. TF-CBT or EMDR, and are looking to expand skills, increase engagement and access additional tools developed and tested for use with youths and families with complex trauma. Practitioners seeking RLH training have often been challenged to engage youths and families referred for treatment of high-risk behavior problems, youths who have not disclosed the most significant traumas in their lives, youths or parents/caregivers who refuse to work in trauma-focused treatment, youths who lack a safe, non-offending caregiver who is committed to raising them and able and willing to participate in trauma-focused treatment, families where suspected traumas have not been validated, and families who are grappling with multiple problems and traumas extending over generations and into the foreseeable future. RLH books and training programs provide a framework, strategies, tools and practice tips for engaging these youths and families and expanding the reach of practitioners’’ and organizations’ previous training in trauma treatment. 

Therapist Feedback on Training Programs and RLH Books


“I have to share with you how helpful the curriculum has been. . . I use "My Thermometers" with ALL of my clients - they even request it - . . . Thank you for this fantastic tool.”“. . . I've witnessed how your Real Life Heroes program truly does assist children and their caretakers in processing their trauma and strengthening their relationship with each other. . . .” “It's my real first attempt to implement and I am very very pleased with how quickly your format emphasizes safety and trust. Thank you Dr. Kagan for giving us this vehicle to help families rebuild their bonds. . . . I was deeply moved earlier today with interactions between siblings and between child and parent-and all through the open doors your book allowed. . . .”“Dr Kagan had a very nice way of presenting material that is playful and engaging. I have been given more ‘tools’ to use in this presentation than any other thus far (4th day of 5 day conference)“Great presentation with provision of wonderful tools to use with children who are victims of any kind of trauma. . .”“Excellent participatory experiences. Clear, sequential—incorporated all essential ingredients”“. . . I truly enjoyed your trauma training and I honestly think it was one of the most valuable things I learned here. I can take the skills and strategies you taught us into the next chapter of my career and I am very appreciative of that. Thank you”“Great experiential exercises”“. . . really awesome”“I wanted to write you a quick note to say again how much I appreciated  your presentation of "Real Life Heroes" last week. . . . I worked for over 22 years . . . and for many years I coordinated development of trauma recovery groups. I am impressed by  the "Real Life Heroes" treatment and tool kit and want to thank you for your passion and work. ““The creative activities were awesome!”“Fantastico!!!”

Citations from Executive Directors, Program Directors, and Supervisors

“This has been the most successful implementation of any treatment model we’ve offered.”  

“I wanted to say again how much we enjoyed the training . . .(the practitioners) said after you left that it was one of the best trainings they have ever had.  . . . I am seeing a lot of Real Life Heroes in progress notes!”

“I have heard nothing but wonderful things about RLH from the staff! Sometimes a training may be well received, but it still isn’t something you see implemented very consistently.  So it is especially wonderful to know that the staff are utilizing RLH.”

“It’s not ‘one more thing’, it’s ‘the thing.’”“Everyone is talking about how much they enjoyed the training and how well it applies to our population.  You did a wonderful job.”   

“. . . the evaluations . . . were very positive, and I was thrilled that staff were able to identify so many useful strategies and activities that they can use with the children and families.”

“It was beyond wonderful to have you here.  Thank you so much for an amazing training and for bringing us together around this work.”

“Your training was interesting, inspiring (and fun!).  I have to figure out a way to fit in some part time clinical practice!!”

“Your keynote presentation was well received and inspiring.  We have received rave reviews for this conference and we owe a large part to your willingness to speak both as a keynote and workshop presenter.”  

“Your presentation was excellent---and you covered a lot of material very clearly and succinctly.” “Wonderful model . . .  Thanks for the presentation.”

“I just wanted to thank you again for the training you did for us last week. I've heard nothing but positive, enthusiastic comments  from the staff who attended.” 

“The clinicians have enjoyed utilizing the workbook with their clients and have found it to be very successful in working with our children and families. . . .” 

“I have has ONLY very positive feedback from folks that attended RLH last week. Thank you so much!!”  

“It was beyond wonderful to have you here.  Thank you so much for an amazing training and for bringing us together around this work. . .”  

“Dr Kagan had a very nice way of presenting material that is playful and engaging.  I have been given more ‘tools’ to use in this presentation than any other thus far (4th day of 5 day conference)“Great presentation with provision of wonderful tools to use with children who are victims of any kind of trauma. . .”

“Excellent participatory experiences.  Clear, sequential—incorporated all essential ingredients”

“Great experiential exercises”

“Your presentation was excellent---and you covered a lot of material very clearly and succinctly.” 

“Wonderful model .... Thanks for the presentation.” 

“It has been a wonderful year for the staff! We are so happy to have your model and your personal expertise to give us tools to serve the most vulnerable children.”

“I just wanted to thank you again for the training you did for us last week. I've heard nothing but positive, enthusiastic comments from the staff who attended.  . . in our three days of training I really came to appreciate the breadth and depth of the model's theoretical underpinnings. It is a rich and beautiful model and I'm grateful for having had the opportunity to learn about it from you.”

PREVIOUS TRAINING SITES

RLH training has been provided to practitioners at state-wide and national conferences, conferences for regional centers for excellence, university-based training programs, and child and family mental health and family service agencies in the U.S., Canada and Hong Kong including:  

  • Adelphi University
  • American Professional Society on Abuse of Children, Annual Conferences
  • American Psychological Association, Annual Conference
  • Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services and Casey Family Programs, National Convening on Youth Permanence
  • ATTACh, Annual Conference
  • Bethany Christian Family Services, Grand Rapids, Michigan 
  • Burrell Health Services, New Frontiers Conference, Springfield, Missouri  
  • Catawba County Department of Social Services, Hickory, North Carolina
  • Child Advocacy Center of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
  • Child Welfare League of America, Annual Conference
  • Children’s Home Society of Florida 
  • Children’s Institute International, Annual Conference
  • Children’s Law Center Children’s Law Conference, Columbia, South Carolina 
  • Coalition of Adoption and Foster Family Agencies and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Buffalo, New York
  • Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Canada
  • Depelchin Children’s Center, Annual Conference
  • Family Violence Sexual Assault Institute, the Children’s Justice Task Force of Oahu, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Catholic Charities Family Services (Oahu), and Kapi’olani Child Protective Services, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Hincks –Dellcrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario
  • Hong Kong Student Aid Society, Mark Memorial Home, Hong Kong, China
  • Institute of Violence, Abuse and Trauma, International Conference on Family Violence
  • International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Annual Conferences
  • Kaua'i Children's Justice Grant Committee, Lihue, Hawaii
  • Lund Family Center, Annual Conference
  • Mid-Maine Child Trauma Network Conference, Augusta, Maine
  • National Child Traumatic Stress Network All-Network Conferences
  • New Directions, Buffalo, New York
  • New York State Coalition for Children’s Mental Health Services, Annual Conferences
  • Oakland County Community Health, Oakland, Michigan
  • Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Children’s Conference
  • Parsons Child and Family Center, Albany, New York
  • Northeast Parent and Child Society, Schenectady, New York
  • San Diego International Conference on Child & Family Maltreatment, San Diego, California
  • Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, Columbia, South Carolina
  • Southeast Center of Excellence, Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • Starfish Family Services, Westland, Michigan
  • State University of New York at Albany, School of Social Welfare
  • Toronto City Youth Development, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • United Counseling Services, Annual Conference, Bennington, Vermont
  • University of Buffalo, SUNY-Buffalo, School of Social Work
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sex Abuse Treatment Conference 
  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Summer Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Washington Department of Social Services
  • Western Michigan University, Child Trauma Assessment Center
  • Wisconsin Family Based Services Association, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Practitioners’ Education Level, Experience, and Licensure

Master’s degree required in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy or related fieldfor RLH certificate-level training programs or evidence-supported treatment. However, training programs often include Bachelor’s-level social workers, family support workers, intensive in-home workers, residential counselors, foster parents, and other professionals working as part of trauma-informed teams with youths and families in child and family services, educational, or behavioral health programs under the supervision of licensed practitioners.


Licensure or certification is not required to participate in training; however, practitioners without licensure must be supervised within their agencies by licensed staff to implement RLH as a trauma treatment. 


Experience working with children, adolescents and families in child welfare, school-based, behavioral health, justice-involved or refugee programs is recommended but not required to participate in training. Use of the RLH Life Storybook, session structure, and the RLH Toolkit promotes learning, confidence, and implementation by new practitioners. At the same time, the RLH format and toolkit resources have been highly valued by advanced practitioners looking to expand skills and add strategies and tools to their repertoire.

FIDELITY

Fidelity is assessed by program supervisor or training consultant reviews of practitioner implementation of key strategies and steps for assessment and treatment using four tools:  the Trauma and Resiliency-focused Assessment and Service Planning tool, the RLH Chapter Checkpoints, the RLH Progress Note (Abbreviated or Long Form), and the RLH Service Plan Review.  These tools include key tasks and points to be covered for each chapter of the workbook, in each treatment session, and in service plan reviews. Evaluations of fidelity are rated for each chapter and component of RLH Treatment with a 3-point scale: Low, Moderate, High.  Moderate levels are required to demonstrate fidelity.  Fidelity ratings are evaluated for individual practitioners and for programs as part of a QI approach to identify challenges and develop solutions in programs.


In addition, reviews by supervisors of practitioner’s use of the RLH Trauma and Resiliency-focused Assessment and Service Planning tool provides information on assessment and treatment planning skills.  Self-report surveys of trauma-informed knowledge, skills and organizational policies and practices are also used to develop training programs and can be repeated after training programs along with pre-post practitioner stress evaluations to assess development of trauma-informed programs and reduction of secondary PTSD. 

CERTIFICATES FOR TRAINING AND CEU'S

Certificates of completion are available for therapists who complete all components of the 18-hour On-Demand RLH Fundamentals Training Program.  Certificate-level RLH Training can also be arranged for therapists in organizations who demonstrate participation in: 18 hours of on-demand or in-person workshops, 10 small group consultation sessions, and weekly or biweekly supervision or consultation within agencies/programs by supervisors trained in RLH along with completion of all RLH Fundamentals practice activities and implementation of RLH with four youths and families with at least moderate fidelity certified by agency/program supervisors. Fidelity assessments are based on completion of the four fidelity measures described above. 


CEU’s can be arranged by sponsoring agencies or programs with state and national accreditation bodies using RLH curriculum materials. Assistance will be provided by Dr. Kagan. These need to be arranged prior to training programs.

TRAINING ExPENSES AND GRANT FUNDING

Registration fees for the 18-hour RLH On-Demand Training are currently set at a

reduced rate, $99/therapist, to promote access for hard-pressed treatment centers after

the pandemic and use at centers with other state-mandated training requirements.

Registration details are available at: https://reallifeheroes.thinkific.com/courses/reallife-

heroes-fundamentals-resiliency-focused-therapy-for-complex-traumasx-traumas.


Small group and organizational consultation includes ten months of small group clinical consultation with ideally 4-8 therapists per group ($2500/group) and five bi-monthly consultation sessions for supervisors and directors ($750/program).


Beginning in March, 2023, federal grant funding will be available through

the Adelphi University Institute for Adolescent Trauma Treatment &

Training to cover training costs for a limited number of organizations,

therapists and program directors in the United States serving youths and

families with Complex Trauma/DTD. Priority will be given to non-profit and

state-funded organizations who demonstrate a commitment to move

forward with implementation and are willing to provide feedback on

training programs. Priority will also be given to programs serving providing

services to trauma-exposed youths in urban and rural high-risk schools,

justice-involved youths, and refugee/asylum-seeking youths. RLH On-

Demand will be provided at no cost to approved organizations, therapists

and program directors. A limited number of programs will be eligible for

the combined RLH Fundamentals Training Program including RLH On-

Demand, small group clinical consultation and supervisory consultation.


Typical training costs with (or without grant funding) include purchase for each therapist of one Real Life Heroes Toolkit, 2nd edition (Paperback, $62, or e book (recommended), $45-$54, available from Routledge.com[1] or Amazon), one Real Life Heroes Life Storybook, 3rd edition (Paperback, $32, or e book, $19-$31 available from Routledge.com or Amazon), peacock feathers for therapists (approximately $1 each, typically sold 100 for $80-100), and small xylophones/two-octave note bells (approximately $20 each). Additional creative arts supplies are recommended but not required. RLH books can be translated by interested organizations by contracting with Routledge Press. 


[1] Routledge provides a 40% discount for organizational purchases for RLH books and tax-free purchases for non-profit organizations. Discounts may be obtained by contacting John Defalco, Routledge Account Manager, at:  john.defalco@taylorandfrancis.com or call:  917-351-7128.


Honoraria for live (virtual or in person) training for agencies, clinics, schools, or other

programs are based on the number of therapists to be trained, program and funding

source requirements, number of hours of training and location, if travel is required.

Training programs have been typically video-streamed since 2020 due to the pandemic

and to eliminate travel expenses. Typical costs for small agencies or programs (5-50

therapists in the U.S.) for the live video-streamed 18-hour RLH Fundamentals Training

Program led by the model developer range from $6000 - $12000 and $8000 - $16000

for the 24-hour Fundamentals and Advanced Training Program.


3 Routledge provides a 40% discount for organizational purchases for RLH books and tax-free purchases for nonprofitorganizations. Discounts may be obtained by contacting John Defalco, Routledge Account Manager, at:john.defalco@taylorandfrancis.com or call: 917-351-71284 Training fees are based on number of participants and organizational requirements with higher costs for training

4 Training fees are based on number of participants and organizational requirements with higher costs for training

programs including organizational and evaluation components and any travel days required.

Application for Grant-funded Training

Grant funding will be provided annually in two tracks:

1. Teams from nonprofit or state or federally-funded centers providing trauma

therapy for children, adolescents and families in the United States may apply for

grant funding for the combined RLH Fundamentals Training Program including

RLH On-Demand along with small group clinical consultation and supervisory

programs including organizational and evaluation components and any travel days required.

consultation calls. Funding for this combined training is limited each year to a

few treatment centers. Priority will be given to sites demonstrating both clinician

and supervisory commitment to completing training and implementing Real Life

Heroes. Please see the RLH Team Application for details.


If you are interested in applying for grant funding for the

combined RLH Fundamentals Training Program, please

complete and e mail a RLH Team Application as indicated on

the application (see top of this page). Approved teams will receive a coupon to waive

costs for therapists and supervisors or directors to register for

RLH On-Demand and will also be notified about how to arrange

small group clinical consultation and supervisory consultation

calls.


2. Clinicians, supervisors and directors may also apply for a limited number of

grant-funded waivers for registration fees for just RLH Fundamentals On-

Demand and may arrange separately, if desired, for small group and supervisory

consultation with Dr. Kagan. Priority will be given to master’s level clinicians

demonstrating a commitment to completing training and implementing Real Life

Heroes with children or adolescents with Complex Trauma and their parents or

caregivers in the United States. Please see the RLH Individual Application for

details.


If you are interested in applying for grant funding for RLH

Fundamentals On-Demand (without small group clinical

consultation or supervisory consultation), please complete and

e mail the RLH Individual Application as indicated on the

application (see top of this page). Approved applicants will receive a coupon to waive

costs to register for the RLH Fundamentals On-Demand

Training.

See & Download Applications
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT RATINGS

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information on RLH Training Programs, please contact:

Richard Kagan Ph.D.  

Training Programs on Traumatic Stress

E mail:  richardkagan7@gmail.com  


Copyright © 2018 Training Programs on Traumatic Stress - All Rights Reserved.


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