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Effective May 1, 2012, we are temporarily suspending our treatment program for children and adolescents. Over the next few months we will be re-organizing the program and adding new staff. We anticipate resuming the program later this summer. If you have questions please contact the ITT Office.

Children and adolescents, like adults, can have symptoms from traumatic events although these symptoms are often displayed in a different manner than adults. They are likely to have behaviors that on the surface can seem defiant, oppositional, or hyperactive and not developmentally appropriate. There are many childhood disorders such as ADHD, Depression, Bipolar, or Oppositional Defiant Disorder that have symptoms which could easily resemble those in a child who has been traumatized.

Clinicians need to thoroughly assess a child’s history because children don’t always have the words to talk about their traumatizing experiences, let alone to describe how it left them feeling. However, trauma therapy may be necessary for children who have:

Been adopted from orphanages (either domestic or foreign)
Been in multiple foster home placements
Suffered neglect and/or abuse
Witnessed domestic violence
Lived in the chaotic/unpredictable environment with an alcoholic or drug addicted parent
Had invasive medical treatments or surgeries (especially before 6 years of age)
Had severe accidental or intentional injuries (burns or beatings)
Witnessed a suicide or murder
Experienced a death of a family member and may display symptoms that are intrusive, arousal and/or avoidant such as:

Panic states Night terrors or recurring nightmares School phobia Excessively nervous or jumpy Insomnia or sleepwalking Hoarding food Electively mute Withdrawn or depressed Sexually precocious or preoccupied Toileting or bedwetting problems Aggression towards other children, adults or animals Unable to concentrate, being extremely distractible Frequent headaches or stomach aches (without a known medical cause)

When behavior modification, medications and/or traditional treatment techniques fail,
instead of doing the same things more or harder,
do something different.

Intensive trauma therapy can be a cost-effective alternative because it can addresses the core of the problem directly. Why wait until a child has had multiple in-patient admissions, multiple changes in foster placements, has been held back or suspended from school, and years of traditional mental health treatment when this brief treatment alternative is available? The cost of this treatment is far less than the toll on a child when other treatment has failed.

In considering trauma therapy here are some things to think about….

Children and adolescents who come to ITT will receive a thorough assessment. The assessment consists of an interview with the caregiver, interview with the child independent from their caregiver, and play assessment including art and sand tray therapies. The more historical information (prenatal, birth, developmental, medical, educational, etc.) provided to the clinical staff the better.

Following the assessment, a member of our clinical staff can recommend whether the child would benefit from trauma therapy and will develop an appropriate treatment schedule for the child. For those coming far distances for treatment, we will conduct a telephone assessment.

We accept children as young as 3 years old. Anyone over the age of 16 will likely be a candidate for our adult program. We ask that a caregiver accompany all children and adolescents because we involve the caregivers in the assessment as well as treatment process when necessary. Caregivers are taught techniques for managing aggressive behaviors, toileting and bedwetting problems and sexual acting out as well as other problems.

If you are seeking out a forensic assessment to determine if criminal charges should be pressed against a perpetrator than you should know that we do not provide that service at ITT. In fact, we do not accept cases where court proceedings are pending. We are happy to provide treatment at the conclusion of any legal proceedings.

We designed the Children’s Program to be flexible so that we can adapt the number of staff and the number of treatment hours to the age and needs of each child. Some young children come for one or two hours a week while others have a 4-hour day (dividing into morning and afternoon sessions) each day for a full week. Often older adolescents are able to complete a full IITT adult schedule, which consists of over 30 hours in one week. The clinical staff determines the length of treatment for each child during the assessment phase and provides recommendations to the child’s caretaker.

We use art therapy, play therapy, clay sculpture, puppets, “movie” making, and/or the sand tray to aid the narrative processing. The theoretical model of the “Instinctual Trauma Response” guides the ITT therapists. The main goal of trauma therapy for children or adults is to externalize the individual’s traumatic experience. A narrative is created by the child to tell the trauma story and he/she will be fully supported by clinical staff in this process.

Some of our clients require repair of the dissociation that occurs in their trauma. We use “parts psychology” to work through that. One technique we use in age appropriate cases is called externalized dialogue, which requires the child or adolescent to communicate with the part of the self who experienced the trauma. This is a very powerful technique that even children catch on quickly to.

Our specialized intensive program is not billed to insurance or Medicaid. The fee for a “Mini Intensive” is $115 per hour. A member of our clinical staff will recommend the number of hours required for treatment after the initial assessment is complete. The fee for the initial assessment is $150.

Some children and adolescents have their treatment paid for through the state in which they live either through the court system, department of human resources, or crime victims compensation fund (particularly those children identified in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems). However, we do not do forensic interviews or accept cases where court proceedings are pending so you’ll want to find out if these services are required by the above funding sources.