A trauma is a terrifying or extremely upsetting event that overwhelms our capacity to cope.

Posttraumatic stress, a very common reaction to trauma, is a NORMAL response to an abnormal event. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress can include feeling “jumpy” or “on edge”, feeling like the event is happening all over again, wanting to avoid anything that reminds us of what happened or even feeling numb (like we don’t have any feelings at all).

Bereavement is the experience of loss or deprivation due to a death.

Grief, a very common reaction to bereavement, is a NORMAL response to the loss of someone important to us. Some grief reactions can be helpful, like finding healthy ways of feeling connected to the person who died. Other grief reactions can keep us feeling “stuck”, like life has no purpose anymore without our loved one there.

We provide “evidence-based” assessment and treatment. This means that we only use assessment tools that are the most effective in accurately identifying symptoms (for example, posttraumatic stress) in different populations of youth. It also means that we only use treatments that are effective in reducing symptoms that we commonly see among children and teens who have experienced trauma or bereavement, including posttraumatic stress, maladaptive grief, depression and suicide risk.

We use “measurement-based care” in everything we do. This means that we are always monitoring our treatments to make sure they’re working and to make sure that the kids we serve are getting better.