Projects in Progress:
The world needs to know about Instinctual Trauma Response. Millions will be healed from the effects of trauma when we get the word out about iTR. Join us in funding these important research projects.
We are now planning and need help funding a Random Control Trial (RCT) with Dr. Nikki Vasilas with Rock of Refuge and local law public safety agencies including the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Police Department and York County Sheriff’s Department this year. The project will show the efficacy of ITR with first responders subject to wear and tear primary traumatic stress , compassion fatigue, burn out and secondary traumatic stress. The RCT will include psychoeducation as well as ITR intensive treatment sessions over a 1-week period. This will show how trauma can be resolved and resilience rebuilt in a short, time-limited way.
Dr. Annie McFarland, Dr. Linda Gantt, Dr. Krissy Taylor and Dr. Nikki Vasilas are all working together to make get a private IRB for this important project
There are ITR outcome studies being conducted at different organizations:
Solara Mental Health: https://solaramentalhealth.com/
Kids to Love: https://www.kidstolove.org/
Safe Harbor: https://safeharborshelter.com/
Any contributions would be used to do the work needed to complete these important studies.
All First Responders:
Help For Trauma Education and Research is partnering with its sister company, ITR Training Institute. to bring the ITR Peer Support Program to any organization in need. The initial focus is on first responders: police, firefighters, health care associates and foster-care parents. ITR provide a full peer support program training including psycho education, assessment and grounding skills along with coordination of care strategies.
Peer Support and intensive time-limited ITR treatment needs to be available for organizations constantly dealing with complex PTSD survivors.
Other Children’s Group Homes:
One of Help For Trauma’s goals for 2023 is to help get Quality Residential Treatment Programs in place in the children’s homes across the world. Traditionally these homes “warehouse” children until they age out of the system, where they are often time picked up by human traffickers. There is not much treatment given to these children to resolve the many traumas they have experienced in the system. This work is crucial to do as soon as possible. We are working closely with Kids to Love and other organizations focussed on the care of unwanted and abused children.
Domestic Violence:
Help For Trauma Education and Research is actively supporting Dr. Terri Strodthoff from Alma Center and Dr. Dimitri Topitzes from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee to conduct a proof of concept research study using the ITR® approach. This research is crucial in spreading the word about traumatic stress and how it affects people and how to resolve it in a time-limited fashion to prevent recidivism. The Alma Center works with men from the Criminal Justice System, its re-entry program structure, and the results of that implementation effort. A group of 20 men on parole will have a 20-hour intensive program using the ITR model in addition to the traditional program reentry program, and a comparison group of men will only receive the traditional program.
More research projects are in the works!