Research

Research is one of the three pillars of the Institute of Childhood Trauma and Attachment. The Institute’s Research Pillar aims to drive change in training, policy, and practice to better serve traumatized children, youth, and their families. The focus is on conducting clinical research and studies that have direct clinical and practice implications, fostering positive change.

Integration with the Training and Practice Pillars of the Institute

All three pillars of the Institute are interconnected, and there is a bidirectional relationship between each. Through training and being located within a children’s mental health agency, we learn about gaps in knowledge and practice, what questions providers, leaders, and organizations have, and what the needs are of those directly supporting children and families, as well as children and families themselves. What we hear from those we train and work with informs our research, training, and knowledge translation. In return, our research elevates our practice elevation, training, and knowledge translation initiatives.

Overview of Current/Previous Work:

The Institute’s research focus areas include the efficacy of various practices and interventions for the identification and treatment of trauma and attachment disorders and the implementation and impact of trauma-informed and trauma-specific practices and protocols in child and youth sectors. At the George Hull Centre, we support the implementation of promising evidence-informed practices within public sector services, including SMART, Neurofeedback, EMDR, and trauma-focused assessment.

The Institute has developed a trauma screening tool called the Child and Adolescent Screener for Traumatic Events and Response (CASTER™). This screening tool identifies trauma exposures and symptoms early in the assessment and treatment process and allows for appropriate clinical and case-planning responses. Content validity of the tool has been established in consultation with youth with lived experience, parents, children’s mental health clinicians, and professional experts in trauma treatment. We have developed multiple versions of the CASTER™ for various ages and youth-self report and/or caregiver reports. All versions are currently available in English, French, and Spanish and can be found here , as well as more detailed information on the tool and its development. Additional research is planned and in progress on the CASTER™.

In addition, the Institute conducts research on trauma screening practices and trauma-informed care adaptations to speech-language pathology practice. Communication difficulty is often the first sign of a developmental and/or mental health concern in young children and can be a symptom of early trauma exposure, putting speech-language pathologists in a unique position for early identification. This research is expected to contribute to the early identification of young children and families with trauma exposure and mental health support needs, early access to services, enhanced clinical practice and collaborative practice across sectors supporting young children and families where there is an increased risk of early trauma exposure.

Governance

The Institute Director and Research Manager oversee the Research Pillar of the Institute. Research initiatives are led and implemented by Institute management and research staff in accordance with recommendations from the Institute’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC). Research is also often conducted in partnership with academic institutions and collaborative practice organizations in Canada and internationally.

The Institute’s RAC advises Institute management and research staff regarding proposed and ongoing research initiatives, provides specific consultation and recommendations regarding funding opportunities and collaborative activities, and helps to foster a positive culture of Institute research participation at the Centre. The RAC includes researchers, staff, and management representatives from across the Centre and those with lived experience and expertise advising on diversity, equity, and inclusion.