The CTRJJ has partnered with the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorder (CTDTD) in a set of new training videos in the Critical Moments series.
As legal professionals, there is rarely an opportunity to get a glimpse on how trauma-informed care principles play out in a therapeutic session.
In this webinar from the CTDTD, viewers experience how therapists handle critical turning points during dramatized therapy sessions alongside a panel of expert therapists review these sessions in case conferences. The clients and caregivers are actors playing fictional characters, but the therapists are real.
In this session, we meet 17-year-old Emilio, who was recently referred to the juvenile facility’s mental health unit. During their first meeting, Dr. Cruise begins with standard intake questions, until it becomes clear just how triggering even routine questions can be for youth carrying deep histories of trauma and loss. Watch as Dr. Cruise shifts from protocol to presence, using attunement and empathy to build a meaningful connection with a young person navigating grief, trauma, and the reality of incarceration.
Watching the interaction between Dr. Cruise and Emilio provides a great opportunity for judges, lawyers, and other legal professionals to see trauma informed principles in action. The video and case conference can help legal professional see how they can support handling challenging moments client interviews where staff need to focus on engagement, building and maintaining rapport, and responding to a youth who has been triggered in the moment.