**This event is open to the public, and is appropriate for beginner to intermediate professionals, paraprofessionals, and other direct care staff involved in working with criminal justice involved youth and families.**

This workshop reviews the prevalence of complex trauma among justice-involved youth, and applies a trauma lens to “maladaptive” coping strategies such as aggression, substance use, and self-harm. The workshop includes a focus on identifying and addressing trauma triggers, as well as ways in which direct care staff can create a more trauma-informed environment for youth and build upon youths' strengths.

This module is a part of the Complex Trauma Training Consortium Master Series (CTTC Training Module #13). This project is supported by National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) Category II Treatment & Services Adaptation Centers Grant # H79SM085102 awarded to Adelphi University through the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS).  

Registered participants will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to join the session.

Target audience:  This intermediate level 1.5 hour workshop is appropriate for beginner to  intermediate professionals, paraprofessionals, and other direct care staff involved in working with criminal justice involved youth and families.  Some introductory background in complex trauma is useful.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will be able to:

1.    Define Complex Trauma and discuss the prevalence and impact of Complex Trauma on Youth who are Justice-Involved.
2.    Apply a Complex Trauma Lens to understanding “maladaptive” (e.g. violent, criminal) behavior as “survival coping”, borne out of extensive exposure to ongoing and/or multiple types of trauma. 
3.    Identify common trauma triggers for youth in juvenile justice settings, and assist youth in identifying and addressing their triggers.
4.    Discuss characteristics of trauma-informed environments, including qualities and approaches needed to create trauma-informed programs, practices, and people. 

Presenter Bio:

LaToya Gaines, Psy.D is a clinical psychologist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in the Center for Child & Family Traumatic Stress. Dr. Gaines services clients of all ages with a variety of relational and supportive approaches. A former school psychologist, Dr. Gaines is knowledgeable of child development and behavior. She provides play therapy and trauma-focused CBT, as well as family and group therapy.

Dr. Gaines received a Psy.M. and Psy.D. in clinical psychology with a multicultural concentration from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. She did her clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Yale School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. Her experience encompasses a variety of clinical presentations including complex developmental trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, psychosis, substance use, self-injury and suicidality.
 

The presenter has no actual or potential conflict of interest and/or commercial support relevant to this presentation.  AI was not utilized in generating materials or in the development of this presentation.

Continuing Education:

Kennedy Krieger Institute, Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education learning activities and maintains full responsibility for this program. This training qualifies for Category I continuing education units.  Social Workers will be provided 1.5 CEUs.

Psychologist:

Kennedy Krieger Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Kennedy Krieger Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Licensed psychologists will be granted 1.5 CE credits for the lecture attended in full.

Cost: Fee is $30 for attendees requesting continuing education credit.  If you are not requesting continuing education credit, registration is FREE.

RSVP:  8/20/26     

For more information, email Training Academy at traumaticstresstraining@kennedykrieger.org.

If an accommodation or assistance for individuals with disabilities is needed, please email the above address with your request by August 17, 2026.

Payment Information:

Registration fee must be received prior to training day. Should you have any questions, please email traumaticstresstraining@kennedykrieger.org.

If for any reason you need to pay by check, please email  traumaticstresstraining@kennedykrieger.org.

Cancellation Policy:

Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress-Training Academy reserves the right to cancel any of its workshops due to unforeseen circumstances. In this event, we will refund the registration fee only and not additional costs associated with attending the workshop. 

Cancellations with refund request must be submitted at least 5 business days prior to the date of the training. All refund requests must be documented in writing.  Please also send requests to TraumaticStressTraining@KennedyKrieger.org.

Should you have any questions, email traumaticstresstraining@kennedykrieger.org