Achievements and Accomplishments: 2021-2022 Academic Year

Academic/Scholarship, Research, and Advancement

  • Sponsorship Funding by Kaiser Permanente – Kaiser Practitioner Scholarships – The Expressive Arts Center for Healing and Well-Being at Trinity Washington University. Received notification from Kaiser, June 2021, that they would provide funding at the Sponsorship level. This is the second sponsorship the research team received. The original proposal and concept paper for an expressive arts center was developed based on the evidence-based research regarding ACEs, Trauma, and Expressive Arts/creative arts therapies. Kaiser stated that they only wanted to sponsor a smaller component of the original proposal as a pilot.  The pilot project is based on need to provide continuing education about ACEs and trauma, healing, and provide mentoring and support for school counseling/mental health professionals working in Wards 7 and 8. (Lead: Dr. Greer and Dr. Reese). The pilot project consisted of the following developments and achievements:
    • Identifying and collaborating with community sponsors such as DC Public Schools to identify School counselors to apply to be a Kaiser Scholar, and to identify mental health agency partners who could identify mental health professional in their agencies to apply.
    • Developing application materials, review processes, and becoming acquainted with Trinity processes regarding Purchase orders and procedures.
    • Developing the course objectives and content based on the current evidence-based research on ACEs, trauma, racialized trauma, and the Expressive and Creative Art therapies.  Identifying and developing the course materials and identifying and ordering textbooks. Hiring a mental health specialist who has expertise in Trauma and the Expressive Arts – Dr. Denise Boston a newly hired adjunct in the Counseling Program who has certifications in the Expressive Arts and teaches the Expressive Arts course for the master’s students.
    • Developing the course assessments.
    • Collaborating with the Director of Continuing Education to establish a home for the new courses.
    • Developing two new graduate level courses for school counseling and mental health practitioners. The newly created courses are COUN 515 Introduction to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Practices and COUN 516 Trauma Informed Practices (Dr. Diane Reese).
  • Due to the success of the pilot project, Kaiser P informed us that we were being moved to grant status and would be able to apply for additional funding in July of 2022 for two cohorts. As of this report, we have received the grant application to be completed and submitted in July. Final approval by Kaiser should be received in September.
  • Provided selected staff of the Mary Elizabeth House, training on ACEs through the Continuing Education course COUN 515. Mary Elizabeth House (MEH) offers housing and support services for young women who are aging out of the foster care system who have children. This course was offered after receiving a contract with the acting CEO of MEH and establishing an MOU. Dr. Deneen Robin (member of the research team and Director of Clinical Training) taught the course and provided mentoring to the staff.
    • Due to the establishing an MOU with Mary Elizabeth House, we were requested to support a Federal Government grant for a Resettlement Grant for Refugees. If the grant was received the Research team would provide the training/coursework for the staff. A research paper was submitted documenting the evidence-based research detailing the wellness and mental health needs of refugees, and the need for staff to be trained about the manifestations of trauma. (Dr. Greer)
  • Working with the assistance of Barbara Goliday in the Development Office, a written proposal/concept paper regarding the initiatives of the research time were submitted to: Morgan Stanley, J. Willard, Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts, and the Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation for funding. We received some feedback regarding our proposal, the major concern was that these groups want to fund more direct services to the community, where immediate impact can be determined.
  • Annual October Professional Development Workshop for Counseling students. (Lead: Dr. Oprea) Theme: Interrupting Systemic, Structural, and Institutional Racism on Human health and Well- Being: Advocating for a Better Normal. The topic of advocacy was the major issue that was addressed in this workshop. Specific topics and guest presenters were:
    • Advocacy Work from Graduate student to Professional Counselor – Destinee Smith (Graduate of the Trinity Counseling Program and member of the research team.
    • Advocacy Work with LGBTQ+ Community – Dean of NHP, Dr.  Brigid Noonan
    • The Ethical imperative of Advocacy in the School Counseling Profession: Promoting Gender Equity in Policy and Practice, the film “Clothed Mind” was shown.  The presenter directed the film that addressed the inequity issues regarding school uniforms – Carletta Hurt, School Counselor Roosevelt STAY High School in DC.
  • Social Justice Forum (First major in person event for the Counseling Program due to COVID): Interrupting Systemic, Structural and Institutional Racism on Human Health and Well-Being: Advocating for a Better Normal. (Lead facilitator- Dr. Greer). Presentations were made by students who were mentored by full and part-time faculty. The topics were indicative of the students’ projects and research over the past two years and included the following:
    • Highlighted presentations by: The Kaiser Permanente Practitioner Scholars, who were completing their course work. Their presentation integrated the use of the Expressive Arts/Creative Arts therapies and how these modalities can be used to help people who have experienced trauma to be survivors/thrivers. The Scholars were also recognized for their work in Wards 7 and 8 of the District of Columbia. A Kaiser representative was in attendance and had the opportunity to meet the Scholars.
    • The Psychosocial and academic impact of banning books, an advocacy presentation. A panel discussion that included the Executive Director of the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) and a Library Media Specialist from Prince George County. The Director of the Trinity Library provided a display of some of the banned books by some school districts.
    • There were eleven student presenters. The student presentations and general topics were: Impact of Racism on Child Development, Racism as a public health crisis – examining the impact on African American, Chinese American and Latino populations; examination of historical trauma on the health of African American gender nonconforming adults; the issue of being a bystander and/or advocate, and other trauma related topics.
  • Development of a unit on Collective, Historical, Generational Trauma and the African Diaspora. Received funding from the Mellon Grant to develop a unit in the Spring Multicultural Counseling Course. Used the novel HomeGoing by Yaa Gyasi and the memoir of Trevor Noah, Born a Crime to document and describe the epigenetic impact of the middle passage and the resulting trauma. Both books and their stories were presented as case studies for small groups to synthesize and analyze and better understand racialized trauma. (Dr. Greer)
  • Guest Lecturer: Providing Trauma-Informed & Responsive Occupational Therapy Services.  OT Special Topics course. (Dr. Reese)
  • Continued to update syllabi on ACEs and trauma with a focus on trauma responsiveness. Many of the syllabi, such as the Introduction to Family Therapy, have now incorporated responsive, and advocacy models from Building Community Resilience and the Center for Community Resilience based on our partnership with the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.
  • Continued to provide current research to NHP faculty on ACEs and Trauma for integration in to course work.  Full and part-time faculty have access to our Moodle site on ACEs that provides curated research based on academic field. (Dr. Reese)
  • Continued to provide updated ACEs course manual for full and part-time faculty that gives suggestions and course materials for course integration. (Dr. Greer)
  • Webpage for ACEs Initiative is now available to the community and continues to be a work in progress.

Community Partnerships, Activities and Engagement

  • Milken Institute School of Public Health – The George Washington University – Center for Community Resilience (CCR) Collaborative national network – Truth, Equity/Reconciliation. CCR developed the reconciliation process for the city of Cincinnati.  Collaborative members reviewed the project for adoption for the District of Columbia. Trinity has signed on as a partner for the project, and the research team will be involved through CCR as a partner. Meets once a month for learning sessions and policy discussions. (ACEs Research Team)
  • *DC BCR Policy Network (the local network of CCR) – representatives from local social service agencies, health providers and support networks for people experiencing poverty. This group meets twice a month to hear an update about problems and concerns in providing resources for Wards 7 and 8. Based on this information policy initiatives are determined that may need to be presented to the city council or other city leaders. (Lead – Dr. Greer)
  • *DC Building Community Resilience (BCR) Network Members:
    • Initiative on ACEs and Trauma- Trinity Washington University
    • Ward 8 Health Council
    • Good Foods Market
    • Martha’s Table
    • Parent Watch
    • Children’s Law Center
    • Children’s National Hospital
    • Community Wellness Ventures
    • The Center for Health and Healthcare in Schools
    • Reaching Out to Others Together
    • The Early Childhood Innovation Network
    • The Redstone Center for Global Wellness at the
    • George Washington University
    • The Rodham Institute at the George Washington University
  • Mary Elizabeth House – Partner relationship discussed earlier in the report.
  • Youth Justice and Housing Coalition – The purpose of this group is to eradicate Youth and family homelessness. Coalition of grassroots organizations who advocate for additional resources and supports for Children and their families. Advocated successfully for additional funding for mental health services in the mayor’s budget. (Dr. Greer)
  • Homeless Children’s Playtime Project – meet periodically with the Director about changing goals for the organization based on the existing challenges due to the lack of affordable housing in the District.
  • The Public Defender’s Service for the District of Columbia – Dr. Oprea serves as a mental health consultant to the Public Defender’s Office. Consults with the legal and behavioral professionals in the juvenile and family section of this office in the implementation and follow through of the Building Community Resilience (BCR) and Center for Community Resilience (CCR) models.
  • Rodham Institute – The George Washington University. Provides educational programs on a variety of health and well-being topics for underserved communities in D.C. The research team provides support of educational programs sponsored by the institute.
  • Crittenden Services of Greater Washington – Attend events and support initiatives in support of social and development of girls and young women.
  • Children’s National Hospital – Adolescent Protection Center. Receive updates from center on the need for advocacy on issues concerning the protection of children from abuse and trafficking and provide advocacy support.
  • Ward 8 Health Council Meetings – UDC Congress Heights Campus. Pre-COVID attended the once-a-month meetings. Community partners are informed of the various needs of the community.
  • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Due to the two pandemics and the increasing research on ACEs and trauma and all of its different manifestations, toxic stress, and epigenetics the research team members have needed to keep ahead of the current research. The list below is a summary of the webinars, seminars and conferences attended or accessed:
  • American Counseling Association National Conference in Atlanta – attended workshops on Race Based Traumatic Stress and workshops on collective, historical, generational trauma and healing. (Dr. Greer)
  • Webinars sponsored by CCR/BCR on The Resilience Tree, Creating Thriving Environments for Children and Families
  • Webinars provided by the Mental Health Academy on the following topics: A Social Justice and Antiracist Framework for Success; Culture-Centered Trauma and Informed Care; The Power of Emotional Intelligence to Achieve Well-being and Success; Navigating Trauma and Supporting Diverse Student Populations During a Double Pandemic; Creating Social-emotional Supportive School Environments. (Drs. Greer and Reese)
  • Webinar sponsored by PACES (Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences). Reimagining Black Family and Child Well-Being in Research, Programming and Public Policy.

Accomplishments 2019-2020

Academic

  • Core courses of the School Counseling and Counseling Mental Health are ACEs and Trauma informed and Responsive. Progress is being made in the other counseling courses.
  • Interdisciplinary presentation – guest lecturer OT Seminar course: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma: Providing Trauma-Informed and Responsive occupational Therapy Services, (Reese, D., February, 2020)
  • Publication – ASCA School Counseling Magazine (May/June 2020) – Invoking the Law of influence: Trauma Informed and Trauma –Responsive Practices in Counseling Programs Curriculum (Reese, D.)
  • Expanded the research team to include students who expressed an interest in ACEs and Trauma. Students are engaged in working with faculty on conference proposals and professional development about the racial disparities in mental health and physical health care: Research project: Why do Health Disparities Exist in the U.S. by Race/Ethnicity and Socio Economic Status? (Greer, C.). Proposal for MCA Virtual
    Conference in October 2020: Cultivating Growth in Counselor Trainees through the Integration of Trauma-Informed and Trauma Responsive Practices in Counseling Programs Curriculum (Reese, D.)
  • On-going curation of research on ACEs, Childhood trauma and disparities by race/ethnicity//COVID-19 for Moodle Page on ACEs and Trauma in which full-part time faculty in counseling, education and NHP have access.
  • Updating of Curriculum Guide on ACEs and Trauma for Counseling, Education and NHP faculty. This guide is a “how to guide” on how to integrate ACEs and trauma research in course curriculum.
  • Equity for Girls: Supporting the Development and Agency of Girls and Young Women/Girls – Professional Development in October 2019 for students in counseling and Education Administration. Collaborated with Crittenton Services and Building Community Resilience (BCR) – GW to examine the girls’ equity research report and the research report on dress codes in DC schools; and how girls and young women feel about their experiences in schools and the adversities they encounter in their daily
    lives.

Presentations Made to Community Partners

(Pre-COVID 19 – we were contacted by numerous community partners to give presentations. Some presentations were delivered before the shutdown others were postponed, or modified)

  • Initiative on ACEs and Trauma at Trinity Washington University – Presentation made at the annual conference for the Building Community Resilience collaborative in Portland, Oregon, (Greer, C, Fall of 2019).
  • Trauma Informed/Trauma Responsive Approaches – Prince William County Behavioral Health (November, 2019)
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Becoming ACES and Trauma Informed and Responsive. Laurel Helping Hands, a community agency in Laurel, Maryland.
  • ACEs and Trauma Informed: Trauma Responsive Self-Care. Community Crime Reduction (CBCR) program, Executive Office of the Mayor – Safer, Stronger DC office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Training (February, 2020).
  • Providing understanding, Support and healing for Children Experiencing Adversity and Trauma. United Methodist Youth Ministries Summer Camp Program. Training was scheduled for March but due to COVID 19, it was cancelled. Therefore the team developed the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma Resource Guide
    for Camp Counselors and Staff.
  • Ensuring Successful Academic and Social-Emotional Outcomes through Trauma Informed Parenting Practice – “We the Girls Conference” – DCPS Office of Equity-Social Emotional and Academic Development – Postponed due to COVID 19.
  • An Integrative/Interdisciplinary Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Childhood Trauma: Partnering to Build Resilient Communities. American Counseling Association National Conference. Cancelled due to COVID 19. The team was asked to make the presentation at the 2021 conference, and their offer was accepted.

Advocacy

  • DC Public Defenders Office – staff requested information and training on the Building Community Resilience model. Training included DDS, DCPS and other community organizations, (Oprea, L., September, 2019).
  • DC City Council – Proposed ACEs Legislation – in collaboration with BCR, met with Brandon Todd and Legislative team to support legislation and ensure that legislation would be presented before the council. Legislation was received and sent to Councilperson Vincent Gray’s Committee (pre-COVID 19). During COVID-19 and because of racial disparities in overall health issues, requesting hearing and requesting a re-allocation of funds from MPD to fund legislation.
  • *DC BCR Policy Network – met/meet every week to develop policy initiative to be considered in the budget process for DC. Involved in the development on policy paper – Building a Better Normal: Addressing COVID -19 Adverse Community Experiences in Washington, D.C. This policy paper deals with the pair of ACEs –Adverse Community Experiences and Adverse Community Environments, and the importance of identifying root causes. The purpose of the paper and analysis will be used to advocate for funds from the DC budget to be redirected to behavioral/mental health. (BCR Network Members)
  • BCR – Gun Violence Prevention – participated in the discussion about resources available to communities and citizens, especially in Wards 7 and 8. Participated in Focus Group with OSSE on the possibility for Certificate programs on ACEs and Childhood Trauma. Reviewed the programs of certificate programs from selected higher education institutions and non-profit agencies in the U.S. to determine the components of certificate program that OSSE might adopt.
  • Homeless Children’s Playtime Project – Team contributed $200 for food delivery for women and children living in DC shelter who are victims of partner/spousal abuse.
  • Declare Girl’s Equity Event – Crittenton Services of Greater Washington. Were asked to serve as discussion facilitators at luncheon event of the re-release of their research report.
  • Washington Town Hall Meeting – Crittenton Services – Virtual meeting in April.
  • Teen Girls and Their Mental Health – Crittenton Services – Virtual High Tea, and discussion with girls and young women (June, 2020).
  • Office of Victim Services – Office of Mayor, met with Michelle Garcia. The office is seeking culturally competent, ACEs and Trauma informed mental health professionals. Discussed the Trinity counseling program with them and the possible placement of interns in the agencies that they serve.

Accomplishments 2018-2019

  • Colloquium: Seeking Social Justice and Advocacy for Children and Their Caregivers: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Healing Trauma, and Building Resilience
  • Developed and provided a Girls Equity professional development program for graduate students in the following programs: counseling, teacher education, educational administration, and teaching for change. The development of this PD was a collaborative effort with Crittenton Services, and Building Community Resilience – School of Public Health at George Washington University in the Fall of 2019. Also, DCTV video-taped the program to be a part of their educational programming
  • Submitted grant proposal and secured sponsorship/funding for the Research Colloquium on ACEs from Kaiser Permanente – Spring 2019
  • Met with John King, President and CEO of Education Trust, and former Secretary of Education with the Obama administration, and secured his role as a keynote speaker and colloquium panelist for the Spring 2019 Colloquium
  • Developed an electronic compilation of the research and presentations from the Colloquium on ACEs in the Spring of 2019. Also, the DCTV, the public television station videotaped the colloquium to be a part of the educational programming.
  • Presented a workshop for school staff on ACEs at the “We the Girls” conference sponsored by the Office of Equity –Social Emotional and Academic Development/DCPS
  • Presented as a panel on Sexual Violence in Education Spaces at the Trinity Washington University “Me too – Sexual Violence Symposium”
  • Presented to the Faculty Salon for Trinity Washington University faculty an analysis of President Donald Trump’s childhood and ACEs, based on findings reported in the book Trump on the Couch
  • Invited and attended workshops, and programs offered by community partners on ACEs and related subjects
  • Submitted several regional and national conference proposals for 2020
  • Created a Trinity Washington University/School of Education Curriculum Guide about ACEs with research and resources for faculty
  • Developed a Moodle site for ACEs research, and gave access to these resources for School of Education faculty, and the interdisciplinary team
  • Participated on numerous panels on ACEs and trauma-informed practice; Served on panel for the Building Community Resilience Spring national meeting – Sustaining Our Work through Practice, Program and Policy at the Milken Institute School of Public Health (GW)
  • Hosted a town hall on ACEs in the Fall of 2018 at Trinity Washington University
  • Organized discussions, among the research team about the book Deepest Well (Burke Harris, N., 2018); Made decisions about how to integrate the information in selected courses
  • Supervised an undergraduate research assistant from our interdisciplinary partners in the Sciences. The research assistant developed an annotated bibliography on the medical and physical impact of ACEs and Toxic Stress
  • Published two trauma related blogs for the Trinity webpage and provided information about our initiative to a national ACEs website, ACEs connection.
  • Identified partners who are eager to work with us on the ACEs initiative, including OSSE, DCPS, Delta Sigma Theta Social Action Committee, Center for Inspired Teaching, and the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, Children’s National, Crittenton Services, GW Milken Institute School of Public Health
  • Created “Mommy and Me” kits for the Playtime Project. Students in the undergraduate education programs researched the developmental stages and needs of children and studied the potential impact of experiencing homelessness, and developed the kits based on evidence based best practices. The Kits were presented to the Director of the Playtime project at the Spring Colloquium.
  • Received from the Homeless Children Playtime Project the “Voice of Children” award. Presented to Dr. Cynthia Greer at their Spring 2019 meeting, for giving support to children and their caregivers who are experiencing homelessness.
  • Submitted grant proposal, and received grant from Safe Shores- The DC Children’s Advocacy Center to provided training on child sexual abuse prevention for our counseling, education, and nursing students who currently are or will be mandated reporters; Students/candidates received certificates verifying their training
  • Communicated with OSSE and City Council Members, Todd Brandon, David Grosso, and Manuel Geraldo about the proposed Adverse Childhood Experiences Task Force Act of 2018
  • Gave testimony before the DC city council in support of the Child Safety Act, reporting the ACEs research for the need for the Act

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