Learning Objectives

The objectives for each of the stated goals are as follows:

1. Provide training to mental health professionals in principles and techniques of tests and measurements.

  1. Understand and identify psychometric properties associated with assessments taught including reliabilities, validity, and norming procedures.
  2. Comprehend the importance of multiple informants in the assessment of children and adolescents.
  3. Match referral questions with appropriate assessment methods.
  4. Describe the limitations of testing and assessment (e.g., predictions, risks, motivation & effort).
  5. Understand the role of “testing of limits” as it relates to children and abuse/trauma.
  6. Differentiate between empirical and medical models of describing children.
  7. Demonstrate competence in writing meaningful, individualized reports.

2. Provide training to mental health professionals in assessment using reliable, valid, and normed instruments for the assessment of abuse-related and trauma-related symptoms

  1. Develop adequate proficiency in order to administer, score and interpret the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, a self-report measure for children ages 8-16 assessing the following constructs: Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociation, and Sexual Concerns (TSCC; Briere, 1995);
  2. Develop adequate proficiency in order to administer, score and interpret the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children, a caregiver rating for children ages 3-12 assessing the following constructs: Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociation, and Sexual Concerns (TSCYC; Briere, 2005);
  3. Develop adequate proficiency in order to administer, score and interpret the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory, a caregiver rating for children ages 2-12 assessing the following constructs:  Developmentally Related Sexual Behaviors, Sexual Abuse Specific behaviors, & Total score (CSBI; Friedrich, 1997);

3. Provide training to mental health professionals in the identification of traumatic events using existing best practices

  1. Develop adequate proficiency in order to administer the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen—Self-Report (Sachser,  Berliner, Holt, Jensen, Jungbluth, Risch, Rosner, and Goldbeck, 2017) and to inquire properly to establish if events have been traumatic.
  2. Develop adequate proficiency in order to administer the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen—Caregiver Form (Sachser,  Berliner, Holt, Jensen, Jungbluth, Risch, Rosner, and Goldbeck, 2017) and to inquire properly to establish if events have been traumatic.

4. Provide training to mental health professionals in differential diagnosis and common misdiagnoses made among professionals serving abused children

  1. Differentiate between diagnostic presentations associated with abuse and trauma in children (e.g., Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Dysthymia, Separation Anxiety Disorder) and diagnoses often mistakenly made of these children (e.g., Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, & symptoms of psychosis)

5. Provide training to mental health professionals in matching assessment findings with evidence-based practices.

  1. Identify evidence-based treatments and their component skills which match with presentations often evidenced among abused children including:
    • PTSD and Dissociation: Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT; Deblinger, Mannarino, Cohen, Runyon, & Steer, 2011)
    • Depression: Coping with Depression for Adolescents (Clarke, Lewinsohn, & Hops, 1990)
    • Anger: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Chaffin, Silovsky, Funderburk,  Valle, Brestan, Balachova, Jackson, Lensgraf, & Bonner, 2004)
    • Anxiety Disorders: TFCBT (Deblinger, Mannarino, Cohen, Runyon, & Steer, 2011)
    • Sexual Concerns: Children with Sexual Behavior Problems Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program: School-Age Group (Silovsky, Swisher, & Widdifield, 2010)
    • Other evidence-based treatments will be identified for many of the presentations above; see the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (http://www.cebc4cw.org/)

6. Provide training in ethical principles related to the administration, scoring, interpretation, and dissemination of assessment findings as related to abused and traumatized children.

  1. Understand issues of confidentiality related to test materials and assessment reports.
  2. Understand the liability associated with releasing “raw” psychological data to non-experts even when subpoenaed.
  3. Understand the need for accuracy in diagnosis given the shortcomings of tests materials and the complexities of reimbursement.
  4. Understand the importance of culture as related to normative groups.
  5. Identify proper and improper uses of assessments and testing.
  6. Identify possible misuses of interpretive programs and printouts.

7. Evaluate satisfaction and changes in practice implemented by mental health professionals in response to achievement of goals 1-6 above.

  1. Implement anonymous training surveys for use online by LPs, so that objective rating of training, consultation, and supervision can be obtained post-certification.
  2. Utilize anonymous pre- and post-training surveys by referring agents who will evaluate assessments conducted by trainees both before and after training. These referring agents will be identified by the training LPs as a condition for receiving free training.
  3. Case studies will be utilized as part of evaluations administered at the end of training to assess competencies in Objectives 1-4. Trainees must attain a score of 80% in order to be certified.
  4. Implement anonymous follow-up surveys to assess changes in practice patterns.
  5. Utilize the Attitudes Toward Standardized Assessment Scales (modified) to assess the attitudes of clinicians pre- and post-training.