Center for Complex Trauma

The Center for Complex Trauma (CCT) advances the science and treatment of child traumatic stress and psychological resilience. At the Center, we study the nature of, and treatments for, trauma and resilience, and train professionals and nonprofessionals throughout New York City and beyond.

Treatment

The Center for Complex Trauma believes that trauma is a public health concern that affects a large proportion of children and families and not just those who are diagnosed and specifically treated for trauma. Therefore, instead of providing a discrete service for complex trauma, we help train clinical providers across the entire Child Behavioral Health and Science Center, so that children and families can receive trauma-informed care throughout our services, whether or not complex trauma is the primary focus of the treatment they are seeking. 

The Center was originally seeded through philanthropic support from the van Ameringen Foundation in 2007 and then through many years of federal funding through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA). A prior cycle of funding under SAMHSA's Youth and Family TREE initiative helped us create the Family and Teens Recovery Services (FTRS) at the Child and Family Institute at Mount Sinai-Harlem Health Center. The Center is currently funded through SAMHSA's National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, which affords us membership in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, which brings together the nation’s leading experts in child traumatic stress to advance care for children and families suffering from child trauma.

Training

The Center is dedicated to training faculty and trainees throughout the Mount Sinai Health System. We specialize in integrating evidence-based, trauma-informed, relational practices that focus on enhancing the alliance between patient and therapist. This not only helps patients engage in whatever therapy they are in, alliance itself has been found to be the biggest contributor to positive therapeutic outcomes.

Program Evaluation

The Center also engages in trauma-informed program evaluation supported through city and federal funding. We have helped in the development of trauma-informed service programs serving the transgender, justice-involved, and substance using populations.

We are currently wrapping up an evaluation of the newly created Exodus Center for Trauma Innovation at Exodus Transitional Community, which serves people who are justice-involved living in Northern Manhattan. This project is funded by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.