History Of The Psychological Trauma Center
The Psychological Trauma Center is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, founded in 1981 by four mental health professionals concerned about the lack of available programs for children who are impacted by acts of violence or natural disasters. The Center's mission is to help children, teachers, families and other victims cope with traumatic events. The Center addresses this need by providing schools and community organizations that have experienced trauma with crisis/trauma intervention, consultation, training and prevention programs. Since the Center's inception, volunteer professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and art therapists have provided over 75,000 hours of service to direct and indirect victims of trauma at Los Angeles area schools and community organizations.
Police, hospitals, and other organizations are available to serve direct victims of trauma. The Psychological Trauma Center focuses its efforts on specialized programs assisting children who are the indirect victims of trauma... the classmates, family and friends who must also cope with the aftermath of the trauma inflicted upon their loved one. The Center received official affiliate status with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 1987. C.S.M.C. provides operational support to the Center and is a valuable resource for professional advice. In addition to C.S.M.C., the Center is able to call on some of the leading clinicians in Southern California through our senior staff's professional associations with Los Angeles County-USC Medical School and Thalians Community Mental Health Center.
The Center has provided services to businesses and community organizations, but the greatest demand for our services has been from Los Angeles area schools. Violence-induced trauma is a regular intruder upon campuses throughout Los Angeles. Few teachers and administrators complete a school year without experiencing at least one critical incident in the lives of their students. In spite of this, crisis management has not yet been incorporated into teacher training. Recognizing educators desperate need for assistance in the aftermath of trauma, and the need to prepare for the now inevitable crisis, the Center has responded with four programs for coping with tragedy. Crisis Intervention, Proactive Training, Prevention, and the Violence Response: Helping Children Learn Program.
The Psychological Trauma Center has been recognized as the "first of its kind in the nation" and the most experienced, non-profit organization dealing with children who are indirect trauma victims. It is with this knowledge and the responsibility it implies that our Board and staff continue to strive to better meet the needs of the children in our communities who have been affected by violence.