Major Steps-Timeline

1998

Position Papers are issued by the National Association of Consumer/Survivor/Mental Health Administrators and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) on the need for enhanced services for trauma survivors throughout the country.
DMH director appoints co-chairs to head up the Trauma Initiative Task Force.

1999

Position paper issued by the DMH director and the Chair of the South Carolina Mental Health Commission addressing the need for enhanced services for trauma survivors in South Carolina.
DMH Trauma Committee meets and sets goals.

2000

Project Director of the Trauma Initiative is hired.
DMH Trauma Committee begins to assess the status of DMH services to consumers with trauma related problems.
Project Director speaks to various DMH groups and offers training to clinical staff.

2001

Trauma Initiative publishes a newsletter and distributes relevant literature on trauma issues to DMH staff throughout the state.
Trauma Liaisons are appointed by Center Directors.
Certain Centers began the use of specific instruments to assess for trauma related events and symptoms during their assessments of children and adults.

2002

Data is collected from information obtained through the trauma assessment instruments that show that 91% of consumers reported at least one traumatic event in their lifetime and that recognition of PTSD increased from 4% to 19% after the use of the instruments was implemented.
Additional Centers begin the use of specific instruments to assess for trauma related events and symptoms during their assessments of children and adults.
DMH planning document is published and as a result eight Trauma Initiative pilot sites are identified.
Over 250 DMH hospital and MHC staff attend a two day clinical conference on, “Emerging Best Practices in the Treatment of Trauma Survivors” held in Charleston.
Two year project was funded by NIMH to evaluate the prevalence and consequences of potentially traumatic or harmful events (“sanctuary trauma” and “harm”) in psychiatric settings by interviewing outpatient consumers from a mental health center.

2003

Three year NIMH treatment development grant is awarded to develop a multi-component cognitive behavioral treatment program (CBT) to treat PTSD among consumers with PTSD and severe mental illness.
Trauma Liaisons begin to attend quarterly meetings.
DMH group participates in National Executive Training Institute (NETI) to develop policies and plans to reduce seclusion and restraint in DMH. An active workgroup is currently addressing training needs for staff and policy changes for our facilities.
Trainings on trauma awareness are presented to CBHS inpatient staff.
Assistant Project Director to the Trauma Initiative is hired.
Presentations "Trauma Awareness", "Assessing for Trama Related Symptoms", and "An overview of Trauma Treatment" were provided to individual centers.
Additional Centers began the use of specific instruments to assess for trauma related events and symptoms during their assessments of children and adults.
Live ETV workshop on treating trauma related problems is broadcast to centers throughout the state.
Inaugural issue of the Monthly Journal Update, which provides summaries of journal articles on trauma and PTSD for both children and adults, is published.

2004

Live ETV workshop entitled, “Treating PTSD in Adult Consumers of Mental Health” is broadcast throughout the state. Tapes of this four part series are distributed to each MHC.
A Trauma Liaison conference entitled, “Bringing the Experts Together” was held with representatives form fifteen centers and CBHS participating. In addition to receiving training and participating in discussion groups, participants identified specific goals for their centers. Each center provided with a start up trauma library consisting of training material form the conference, relevant articles and books on PTSD treatment.
Two open trial treatment groups were provided to consumers at a day treatment program as part of the CBT for PTSD NIMH treatment development grant.
Presentations on “Trauma Awareness”, “Assessing for Trauma and Related Symptoms” and “An overview of Trauma Treatment” were provided to individual centers.
Additional Centers begin the use of specific instruments to assess for trauma related events and symptoms during their assessments of children and adults.
Quarterly Trauma Liaison meetings were held in Columbia. Topics addressed included How to sell the initiative to other staff members and how to implement the action plans created at the Trauma Liaison conference.
The SCDMH Director and the Trauma Imitative Project Director made a presentation on the SCDMH Trauma Initiative to the National Trauma Consortium in Baltimore, Maryland.
A summer newsletter and issues of the Monthly Journal Update are published and distributed throughout DMH and the MJU subscription list.

2005

Two open trial treatment groups were provided to consumers at an outpatient adult clinic in Charleston as part of the CBT for PTSD NIMH treatment development grant.
Presentations on “Trauma Awareness”, “Assessing for Trauma and Related Symptoms” and “An overview of Trauma Treatment” were provided to individual centers.
Additional Centers begin the use of specific instruments to assess for trauma related events and symptoms during their assessments of children and adults.
The Monthly Journal Update was transformed into the Quarterly Journal Update and will be published four times a year.
Quarterly Trauma Liaison meetings were held in Columbia. Topics addressed included the development of an Advanced Trauma Treatment Training program with an initial Train the Trainers session followed by regional trainings.
The founding director of the Initiative left her position and the Asst. project Director was hired in her position. The initiative returned to consisting of one full time position.

2006

A train the trainer four part training session on the Hands On TF-CBT was held in Columbia with five centers sending between three and seven representatives.
The Initiative continued its direct participation in the TF-CBT treatment development grant group and individual sessions.
Presentation entitled, “The Assessment and Treatment of Trauma Related Problems in Children and Adolescents” was presented at the annual CAF Spring Conferences.
Three installments of the Monthly Journal Update were sent to subscribers of the MJU.
Several video conferences were held to develop the Hands On TF-CBT training for adult services. Centers participating included Anderson-Oconee-Pickens, Berkeley, Catawba, Charleston Dorchester and Costal Empire.
Presentation, “Trauma Awareness in the Psychiatric Setting” was given to staff at Harris Psychiatric Hospital.
Quarterly Trauma Liaison meetings were held in Columbia and via video conference available to all centers.
Presentation entitled, “Breaking the Cycle: Addressing the Interaction between Exposure to Violence and Mental Illness,” was held at the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault’s conference on providing assistance to vulnerable populations
A total of eight four session trainings were provided at the five centers participating in the first round of the Hands On TF-CBT training for CAF services. A total of over 120 clinicians completed the comprehensive and interactive training at Berkeley CMHC, Charleston-Dorchester MHC, Greenville MHC, Lexington County CMHC and Waccamaw CMH.
Presentation entitled, “Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult Services” was presented at the Lexington County CMHC.
Two listservs were created for the Initiative: one to focus on treating adults who are experiencing trauma related symptoms and the other on treating trauma related symptoms with children, adolescents and their families.