Trauma-Informed Educational Practices for Children and Adolescents Certificate

Why pursue a Trauma-Informed Educational Practices for Children and Adolescents Certificate?

Childhood trauma is more common than people realize. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), two-thirds of children reported at least one traumatic event by age sixteen. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network confers that "Each year, more than 10 million children in the United States endure the trauma of abuse, violence, natural disasters, and other adverse events."

People who have experienced childhood trauma events may be more prone to physical and behavioral health challenges. In addition, they may experience significant stress related to family, school, and work. The trauma-informed education received in North Central College's certification program will help you impact children and adolescents by creating responsive systems focused on strengths and healing. The program's mission is to prepare theoretically and practically equipped, caring, committed, and competent trauma-informed educators, leaders, and service providers. In addition, it builds knowledge and skills for those working with youth in which complex trauma events may be a part of their stories. Centered on a foundation of public health concepts, it provides a concrete understanding of the influence of toxic stress on brain development, learning, and health.

Growing Need for Trauma-Informed Education and Health Care Professionals

Gaps among professional practices related to traumatic childhood experiences and trauma-informed care are ample. Our trauma certificate program will propel your skillset if you desire to advance systemic change for schools and organizations that serve children and families. You will dive deep into childhood adversity theories and educational practices. You will become primed to serve your workplace and community by creating sustainable change with a trauma-informed lens responsive to challenging the structure and intentions of programs, policies, and procedures that impact youth and families.

Through the certificate program, you will be part of the solution to create positive change to support children and families in your work and community. You will have the ability to advocate for creating communities that embody safety, trust, and health-promoting services. You will also experience the personal satisfaction of learning how to be a trauma-informed change-maker in an area that affects most of the population in the U.S.

Cohort & Train-the-Trainer Focus

Our cohort focus is steeped in developing strong relationships between instructors and students. The readings, discussions, and reflections are intended to educate and challenge misperceptions and biases, so personal and professional growth can occur. Collaborative learning through purposeful course design, assignments, and assessments lends itself to meaningful interpersonal connections with classmates and professors.

The curriculum follows a train-the-trainer model in which students will be equipped to provide education to others related to childhood and developmental trauma. You will learn how to create systemic change, develop strategies for small and large children groups, and more.

It will also enhance your professional credentials and recognize you as a specialist in the subject matter as you advocate and provide leadership to schools and organizations. As a practitioner, you will create programming that educates your colleagues on the latest childhood trauma research and trauma-informed practices.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!