This immersive, introductory three-day training provides clinicians with a thorough, practice-oriented foundation in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Participants will learn the core components of the TF-CBT model, develop skills for engaging children, adolescents, and caregivers, and gain confidence in implementing the PRACTICE framework. Clinicians will gain clinical strategies designed to bolster their competence in working with children exposed to childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect; domestic violence or other forms of intimate partner violence; traumatic grief; and other types of psychological trauma. Through interactive instruction, case examples, demonstrations, and guided role-plays, attendees will deepen their understanding of the impact of childhood trauma on child development. They will also master their use of evidence-based strategies for assessment of post-traumatic stress and its sequelae, affect recognition and modulation, cognitive processing, and written trauma exposure through the trauma narrative. Participants will be invited to attend monthly case consultation/supervision with Dr. Michael Gomez, a national trainer in TF-CBT, and Dr. Brian Denietolis, Senior Expert in TF-CBT at BCSC. By the end of the training, participants will be equipped with practical tools and clinical techniques to deliver TF-CBT effectively and sensitively in diverse treatment settings.
Key Objectives:
Michael Gomez, Ph.D., has held multiple positions in the field of mental health. His most recent academic position was as clinical faculty at Bradley Hospital, Lifespan Institute, one of the teaching hospitals for the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University where he was awarded the Henrietta L. Leonard Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Gomez was also previously director of the Adversity and Resilience Community Center (ARCC) and the Center for Superheroes, a child trauma behavioral health clinic in the West Texas area. Dr. Gomez has held adjunct professor posts at Texas Tech University Psychological Sciences; the Texas Tech University College of Education; and the TTUHSC School of Nursing. He was also previously faculty at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect/Child Study Center Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the OU Health and Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in the states of Texas and Rhode Island and actively sees patients in both states. Dr. Gomez specializes in the field of trauma. He works and researches this topic in all its myriad forms such as: Child abuse and neglect, disaster impact (Dr. Gomez was on ground for one of the last F5’s to hit the United States), sexual trafficking, secondary trauma and burnout for providers, trauma resulting from immigration and refugee experiences, PTSD in veterans, systemic racism, etc., etc. He is one of the three founders of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s (NCTSN) Trauma and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Workgroup (formerly the NCTSN Trauma and Autism Spectrum Disorders Community of Practice). He was part of a World Health Organization (WHO) trauma initiative for the National Mental Health system in the country of Swaziland (now named Eswatini) for children orphaned by the HIV epidemic and the staff who provide care for them. He is also part of the film team at the Center for the Treatment of Complex/Developmental Trauma Disorders, housed at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, which is an initiative where sessions of patients with traumatic stress disorders are recreated and captured on film. This project also involves documentary filmmaking such as “The Shakespeare Sessions,” an exploration of the intersection between Shakespeare’s plays and mental health that originally aired on Connecticut PBS.
Brian Denietolis, Psy.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Trauma Informed Cognitive Behavioral Services at Boston Child Study Center. Prior to joining the Boston Child Study Center, Dr. Denietolis served severely traumatized and psychologically suffering adolescents and families at the UMass Adolescent Continuing Care Unit, a longer-term inpatient psychiatric facility that is the highest level of care in the state of Massachusetts. While at UMass, Dr. Denietolis functioned as staff psychologist, Clinical Director, and Senior Program Director for over a decade. It was there that he developed an unwavering commitment to joining children, adolescents, and families in their efforts to capitalize upon their skills and strengths while also cultivating a life worth living. Dr. Denietolis’s primary specialization is in the diagnosis and treatment of both acute and complex developmental trauma. He is extensively trained in multiple trauma-focused interventions, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Attachment, Regulation and Competence (ARC), Cognitive Restructuring for PTSD (CR-PTSD), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and the Integrated Treatment for Complex Trauma in Adolescents (ITCT-A).
Instructional Level:
Target Audience: This educational activity is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFT’s.
Continuing Education Credit:
Boston Child Study Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Boston Child Study Center maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
To receive continuing education credit for this program, participants must attend the program in its entirety and complete the required program evaluation. Partial credit will not be awarded.
Each participant is responsible for determining whether this program meets the continuing education requirements established by their individual licensing board or regulatory agency.
American Psychological Association
Boston Child Study Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Boston Child Study Center maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Participants who meet attendance requirements will receive a link to complete the program evaluation following the event. Continuing education certificates will be issued electronically upon completion of the required evaluation.
Registration Fee: There is no fee to register for this program.
Cancellation: If Boston Child Study Center cancels or reschedules this program, registered participants will be notified using the email address provided during registration.
If you are no longer able to attend, we ask that you cancel your registration so that we can maintain accurate attendance records.
Boston Child Study Center is committed to providing accessible continuing education programs. Participants who require accommodations to participate in a program may contact Beth Jerskey (bjerskey@bostonchildstudycenter.com) with their request. Please submit accommodation requests as early as possible to allow adequate time for arrangements.
The Boston Child Study Center (BCSC) is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists. The BCSC will comply with all legal and ethical responsibilities to be non-discriminatory in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of program participants. The monitoring and assessment of compliance with these standards will be the responsibility of Dr. Beth Jerskey in consultation with the members of the continuing education committee.
While the BCSC goes to great lengths to assure fair treatment for all participants and attempts to anticipate problems, there will be occasional issues that come to the attention of the convention staff which require intervention and/or action on the part of the convention staff or an officer of the BCSC. This procedural description serves as a guideline for handling such grievances.
If you wish to file a grievance, please note that the following actions will be taken:
1. If the grievance concerns a speaker, the content presented by the speaker, or the style of presentation, please put your comments in written format and provide them to Dr. Jerskey. Dr. Jerskey will then pass on the comments to the speaker, assuring your confidentiality.
2. If the grievance concerns a workshop offering, its content, level of presentation, or the facilities in which the workshop was offered, the convention chair will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If you request action, Dr. Jerskey will:
a. attempt to move you to another workshop, or
b. provide a credit for a subsequent year’s workshop, or
c. provide a partial or full refund of the workshop fee.
Actions 2b and 2c will require a written note, documenting the grievance, for record keeping purposes. The note need not be signed by you.
3. If the grievance concerns the BCSC CE program, in a specific regard, Dr. Jerskey will attempt to arbitrate.
To contact Dr. Jerskey or other members of the Continuing Education Committee, please call (617) 800-9610.
Correspondence can be sent to Dr. Beth Jerskey, 729 Boylston Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116.
Virtual programs are delivered live via Zoom. Participants are responsible for having a reliable internet connection and a device capable of accessing Zoom. We recommend using the most recent version of Zoom and joining several minutes before the scheduled start time.
Attendance is monitored electronically. Participants must attend the live program for the required duration to receive continuing education credit.
By joining this event, you agree to Zoom’s Event Participant Terms of Use, Privacy Statement, and Terms of Service.
For questions about continuing education, registration, or this program, please contact the BCSC Continuing Education Team at ce@bostonchildstudycenter.com.
