News

A Trauma-Informed West Texas! Child Guidance Center Builds a Network

November 21, 2022

For the last five years, the El Paso Child Guidance Center has been at the forefront of creating a border community that is trauma-informed. A trauma-informed El Paso is one that recognizes how many youth and their families have been affected by trauma and then creates caring systems of support to help them recover and grow. In the wake of the August 3, 2019, Walmart mass casualty and the many losses families have experienced as a result of COVID-19, a united, coordinated and trauma-informed community is essential for a healthier tomorrow.

With generous funding from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation’s Think.Change initiative, the Child Guidance Center has launched the West Texas Trauma Informed Care Consortium. The consortium is a network of core partner agencies, business, schools, organizations, professionals, students, and individuals who share in this vision of a trauma-informed borderland. The Consortium is a hub of best practice resources and tools, providing training and bringing together members to learn skills. It has grown out of a three-year TIC Learning Collaborative that has provided training for hundreds of professionals, staff, and parents.

One training series that has made a special impact in the region is Capacitar—a trauma-informed set of wellness practices for healing and transformation. This year, 100 multipliers participated in formation, each of them providing services through different organizations in El Paso, Las Cruces, Cd. Juárez, and cities in the broader region. Other evidence-informed and evidence-based training models Health Foundation funding has supported over the last years include Trust Based Relational Intervention and Reaching Teens, creating a strong network of informed, united, and well-trained youth-serving professionals.

Our children and youth are our future. We know that prevention and early intervention can mitigate the impact of early exposure to trauma, and together we are a Trauma-Informed West Texas. Act now and act together, El Paso!

For more information, visit us at: www.epcgc.org/wtticc/ or connect with us via at email: communitytrainings@epcgc.org.