UA Little Rock Holds Nationally Recognized Trauma-Informed Practice Course for Social Work Graduate Students
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has started a specialized course that provides advanced training for Master of Social Work students to address working with youth and families who experience trauma.
Selected as part of the National Initiative for Trauma Education and Workforce Development, Dr. Tara DeJohn, assistant professor of social work, joined faculty from schools of social work nationwide in delivering this innovative course, Core Components and Skills for Trauma-Informed Practice.
The National Initiative for Trauma Education and Workforce Development, which launched in 2021 at UNC Chapel Hill, is part of a larger $3 million SAMHSA-funded project aimed at improving trauma-informed practices nationwide. The program not only enhances students’ practical skills but also addresses the shortage of trained mental health professionals with specialized trauma expertise across the United States.
“They recognized that social work educators and practitioners have a tremendous knowledge gap when it comes to addressing trauma,” DeJohn said. “The initiative is focused on improving access to faculty who serve in institutions and communities that work with minority populations and often have less opportunities for evidenced-based instructional training as compared to larger R1 institutions.”
Last summer, DeJohn received training along with a cohort of 17 professors from around the country to teach the course, which equips students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to apply 12 essential trauma-informed practices in interventions and treatments for traumatized children and their families.
The course emphasizes understanding the impact of trauma, developing trauma informed interventions, and mastering the elements necessary to achieve these objectives. Taught through inquiry-based learning (IBL), the course engages students using full-length cases that reflect the diverse clients clinicians encounter. Additionally, it addresses self-care and heightens awareness of systemic issues affecting children and families, which can either mitigate or increase their risk for traumatic experiences.
“There is secondary trauma that can happen to social workers as they work with individuals and families facing so much trauma in their lives,” DeJohn said. “This class also teaches self-care techniques. It’s so important for social workers to take care of themselves and mitigate effects that can lead to burnout on the job.”
The course has 24 Master of Social Work students, 12 on campus and 12 online, at UA Little Rock. DeJohn is very excited about bringing the initiative to Arkansas and feels this class is especially helpful to future social workers in the state.
“Depending on the statistics you read, master’s level social workers provide between 50-80% of all mental health services,” DeJohn said. “According to the most recent statistics from the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, children in Arkansas are more likely to endure adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, than children in most other states. The impact from these adverse experiences not only impact a child’s mental health, but it also increases their likelihood for childhood obesity and chronic illnesses in adulthood. Students will learn how to work with children and families to help mitigate the negative long-term effects of trauma.”
DeJohn and her cohort will receive ongoing training while they teach the course during the spring semester. During the summer, DeJohn will receive training to become a trainer herself and will then be able to offer training to other faculty members who want to teach the course in the future.
“I am very grateful to our department’s co-chairs Dr. Laura Danforth and Dr. Kim Jones for supporting me in being a part of this project,” DeJohn said. “I would also like to commend Dr. Strand, who is the faculty investigator at UNC’s School of Social Work, who along with her team secured a grant from SAMSHA to be able to offer this training to faculty around the country at no cost to the faculty or the faculty’s home university.”