Healing Connections: Addressing the Impact of Racial Trauma

Project Description Narrative:

Structural racism and racial discrimination play a large role in health disparities, especially among Black youth, who experience higher rates of trauma and stressors.

This project aims to expand access to evidence-based interventions for race-based trauma in Wisconsin by training 60 therapists in trauma focused cognitive therapy/racial socialization (TF-CBT/RS) and the Kniffley Racial Trauma Therapy Model (KRTTM). Through the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress Learning Collaborative Model, therapists will provide effective treatment over a 10-month period, aiming to reduce the mental health impacts of racial trauma on youth.

By equipping therapists with evidence-based tools, the project not only addresses immediate mental health needs but also establishes a framework for sustainable, equitable mental health services across communities disproportionately affected by racial disparities. This initiative could lead to broader systemic changes in addressing health disparities rooted in racism statewide.

Community partners: Cultural Concepts LLC, Wisconsin Association of Family & Children’s Agencies, Office of Children’s Mental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine