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Trauma Studies Certificate
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Credits:
15
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Degree:
Graduate Certificate
Program Description
A graduate certificate in Trauma Studies provides professional training in crisis intervention and trauma treatment, education and prevention, leading to certification. The program has a strong commitment to educating compassionate, ethical and effective trauma specialists. The program emphasizes the role of trauma specialists in implementing trauma informed care across disciplines and utilizing community resources.
In 2021, Cambridge College's mental health counseling certificates were ranked as #1 in New England for Best Quality, #2 in New England for Best Value and #25 in the U.S. for Best Value by Healthcare Degree Search (HDS), an organization that specializes in promoting healthcare careers, and ranks programs on outcome-based factors, based on data from the U.S. Department of Education. Learn more.
Learning Outcomes
Students will gain knowledge of crisis, trauma, post-traumatic stress reactions, trauma-specific interventions and disaster mental health in multi-cultural settings. They can apply the learned skills in trauma assessment, counseling and treatment to effectively respond to immediate and long-term needs of survivors, including war veterans, survivors of child abuse, first responders, immigrants and refugees, as well as victims of crime, disasters, domestic violence, sex trafficking and torture.
Careers and Further Study
Upon completion, students will qualify to work in crisis response teams, provide trauma-informed care in community mental health, addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs in school settings and provide support for veterans, survivors of gender-based volence and refugees.
For more information, please contact Admissions at 1-800-829-4723.
Curriculum
Counseling Courses
6
Credits
Psychopathology
CCP 615 • 3 credit(s)
This course deals with the nature of neurotic behavior, abnormal behavior and the psychoses, as well as the nature of normal and abnormal intellectual, social, and emotional development and learning in childhood and adolescence. Particular attention is given to ego-defensive, adaptive and sociocultural aspects of behavior, health and wellness, and ways in which adaptive behavior becomes symptomatic. This course organizes disorders according to the organization of the DSM-5. Historical contexts in which psychopathology has been diagnosed and viewed from early medical concepts through the currently used Diagnostic Criteria in the DSM-5 are presented. Learning disorders, including emotional issues affecting student achievement and their treatments are investigated. Attention is focused on differential diagnosis, treatment planning and best practices in applied settings. Discussions focus on psychopharmacology, knowledge of medical conditions and medication related to physical disabilities and learning disorders, prevalent psychotherapies, and theories of abnormal behavior and development. Case studies provide experience in classifying, diagnosing and categorizing various mental disorders from childhood throughout the lifespan.
Discussions of treatment of mental illness include psychopharmacology, prevalent psychotherapies used in individual, family, couple and group psychotherapy and current research findings related to treatment. Discussions also focus on health and wellness, multicultural issues, plus variables related to resiliency and student learning. Additionally, the effects of abuse, violence, theories of normal and abnormal behavior and development are examined. Current research that can assist the school counselor in developing a plan of action for referral and treatment that relates to personal, social and academic functioning of students will be procured through the online library. This course utilizes films, tapes, case studies, class presentations, lectures, and group discussions. It includes the fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction. This course also includes the fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction.
This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standard for School Adjustment Counselor/School Social Worker: h: Knowledge of medical conditions and medication related to physical disabilities and learning disorders. c. Learning disorders, including emotional issues affecting student achievement, and their treatment
This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standards for School Guidance Counseling: c. Psychology of learning. d. Understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of learning and behavior disorders. e. Theories of normal and abnormal intellectual, social, and emotional development.
Ethics & Professional Issues for School Counselors & Mental Health Practitioners
CCP 622 • 3 credit(s)
This course explores several models of school counseling and mental health counseling and the relationship to relevant ethics, federal, state, municipal, state laws, and standards and regulations. The course emphasizes best practices and strategies for dealing with ethical and legal dilemmas, including the ability to apply and practice ethical and legal standards in school counseling. School counseling and systems models are examined along with consultation, harm prevention and reduction, and the evaluation and utilization of community resources. Focal areas include professional roles and functions, ethical standards including accountability, responsibility, client/student welfare, emotional health, laws and regulations, institutional policies including crisis/disaster preparedness and response, cross cultural, cross social class practices and their impact on mental health and school counseling. Includes the fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction. This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standard for School Adjustment Counselor/School Social Worker: h: Federal and state laws and regulations addressing the legal rights of students and families. This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standard for School Guidance Counseling: i. Federal, state, municipal, and school laws and regulations.
Trauma Courses
9
Credits
Take CCP 727 or CCP 729.
Post Traumatic Stress Reactions
CCP 724 • 3 credit(s)
This course focuses on theory, research and practice of trauma by addressing systemic and cultural aspects of diagnosis, assessment, dynamics, and trauma treatment. This includes acute stress disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and complex PTSD, as well as dual diagnoses. Immediate and long-term effects of trauma on various populations will be explored: trauma in adults, children, and families, sexual and physical abuse survivors; victims of crimes, large scale disaster, war; workplace violence and complicated grief. Other topics include trauma resilience, natural courses of coping; transgenerational aspects of traumatization and life span perspectives on trauma.
This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standard for School Adjustment Counselor/School Social Worker: d: Prevention and treatment of substance abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and violence in PreK-12 students. This course includes the fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction.
Trauma Specific Interventions
CCP 728 • 3 credit(s)
Students will learn about assumptions, principles and concepts of trauma-specific treatment approaches and trauma-informed care. Students will gain knowledge of theory and practice of psychological first aid, its application in disaster mental health, crisis intervention and crisis counseling. They will become familiar with major approaches in trauma treatment: individual and group trauma counseling, cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, and exposure therapies, psychopharmacological treatments, and newly emerging approaches. The acquired knowledge and skills can be applied in providing individual and group crisis intervention, brief trauma counseling and treatment of survivors of sexual abuse, war trauma, torture, disasters and workplace violence and other. The ethics of trauma work will be thoroughly covered. This course includes the fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction.
Clinical Interventions for Combat Stress and Trauma
CCP 727 • 3 credit(s)
This course is taught in the fall only. The content and design of this course is to familiarize students with the history, diagnosis and treatment of combat stress and trauma (CST) in the lives of primarily military people, but also the effects of CST on civilian populations exposed to war operations. The course will further provide information concerning the effects of CST on veterans’ families. Through lecture, class discussion, directed readings and case studies, students will become acquainted with causes and effective treatments of CST. Emphasis will be placed on diagnosis, treatment, referral resources and the support systems. Students will gain knowledge of: 1) the prevalence and complexity of combat stress and trauma; 2) counseling and treatment methods for returning veterans and their families; and 3) referral resources for veterans. Students will demonstrate proficiency in understanding the nature and complexity of combat stress and trauma. Includes the fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction.
Trauma Interventions in Schools
CCP 729 • 3 credit(s)
This course is taught in the spring term only. Trauma, chronic fear and stress impact children’s neurobiological development which affects critical brain functions (memory, language, problem-solving, higher order thinking, and executive function skills). The support a child/adolescent receives from those around them and the communities they inhabit heavily influences the trauma response and forward growth. Schools are children’s communities. This course will explore the impact of trauma on the child/adolescent’s neurobiological development, relationships, behavior, learning and academic performance. Trauma sensitive approaches in schools are described, including prevention and treatment of physical, sexual and substance abuse, as well as clinical interventions related to stabilization and the development of coping and social skills. School and system-wide crisis prevention, intervention and postvention planning and implementation will also be reviewed. Includes the fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction.
This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standard for School Adjustment Counselor/School Social Worker: d: Prevention and treatment of substance abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and violence in PreK-12 students.
This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standards for School Guidance Counseling: f. Knowledge of strategies used for the prevention and treatment of substance, physical and sexual abuse, the spectrum of mental illnesses, and violence in PreK-12 students
Program Chair
Core Faculty
(617) 873-0204john.carew@cambridgecollege.edu
(617) 873-0237massomeh.namavar@cambridgecollege.edu
Senior Instructor
(617) 873-0201Judith.Bralove@go.cambridgecollege.edu
(617) 873-0012Elena.Cherepanov@go.cambridgecollege.edu
413-787-7475Shannon.Dion@go.cambridgecollege.edu
(617) 873-0135Colleen.Goode@go.cambridgecollege.edu
800-877-4723katrina.ramos@cambridgecollege.edu
(617) 873-0135paul.white@cambridgecollege.edu
Pages
Admissions
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Admission Test:
No standardized graduate school tests required for admission into non-licensure programs
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Admissions Office:
1-800-829-4723
- Application Form:
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Application Fee:
$50 ($100 for international students)
Health Requirements for Massachusetts Students
The Massachusetts Health Department and Cambridge College require the following of students in Massachusetts:
Immunizations – All students in Massachusetts are required to get certain immunizations before you can register for your first term. See form
Health Insurance – In Massachusetts, undergraduate students taking nine or more credits/term and graduate students taking six or more credits/term must enroll in the College’s health insurance plan. Students who have insurance with comparable coverage may request a waiver. See information and enroll or waive.
School Requirements
International Students
International students need to provide supplemental documentation:
- Official demonstration of English language proficiency
- Supplemental documentation for issuance of I-20
- International transcripts, evaluated by an accepted evaluation service
Transfer Credit
Please complete the transfer credit request form if you wish to have prior course work evaluated for transfer. Learn more.
Tuition
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Credits:
15
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Cost per credit hour:
$639
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Application Fee:
$50 ($100 for international students)
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Health Insurance Fee:
$3,940 - Required for Massachusetts students only. See waiver details on Tuition & Fees page.)
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Internship/Practicum Fee:
$400
Note: Rates are as of July, 2022, and are subject to change without notice. Rates apply to all students, unless otherwise noted.
Financial Aid
Cambridge College offers financial aid to students in our degree programs who are enrolled at least half time. Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits each term. Graduate and doctoral students must be enrolled in at least 4 credits each term. Learn more
Grants, Scholarships and Loans
Cambridge College welcomes the opportunity to support your efforts to pay for college. Federal, state and local resources in the form of grants, scholarships, loans and work-study, including Cambridge College Scholarships, are available to help defray the cost of tuition. Learn more
Getting Your Company to Help
Many companies have tuition assistance programs, designed to help their employees with their professional development. Learn more
Take the Next Step Toward Your Certificate
Take the Next Step Toward Your Certificate
