UCLA/Duke Center Offers Web-based Child Abuse Training

The UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, under a new agreement with the Department of Defense, will train behavioral health specialists who work on military bases to provide assistance for military families impacted by child abuse, domestic violence and other forms of child traumatic stress.


The UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS), under a new agreement with the Department of Defense, will train behavioral health specialists who work on military bases to provide assistance for military families impacted by child abuse, domestic violence and other forms of child traumatic stress.

Specifically, the NCCTS will develop a web-based system to provide training to a worldwide cadre of approximately 2,000 specialists to acquire the knowledge and experience to effectively address child abuse when it occurs. Those who participate in the program will also have opportunities to form online communities with their colleagues to enhance their abilities by sharing best practices and lessons learned from their collective experiences.

One virtual program, for example, has been developed to deliver clinical training on child traumatic stress to U.S. military behavioral health providers. From their office computers, these providers will be trained remotely by some of the world’s leading experts in evidence-based treatments for child traumatic stress, according to Gregory Leskin, director of the Military and Veteran Families Program at the center.

“This unique configuration of learning and social networking will allow these staff to connect to each other to discuss their progress reaching their learning goals,” said Leskin. “As a result, a military behavioral staff member working in Hawaii will have access to the same on-demand training materials as their colleagues staffing clinics in Europe.”

Robert Pynoos, M.D., co-director for the UCLA/Duke University program, said “having a web-based training system puts the NCTSN in a unique position to assist the Department of Defense to modernize the care of children and families. We are honored to work with the military community and the family advocacy program to provide this training to military providers.”

UCLA officials said the center has been committed to building the National Child Traumatic Stress Network since 2001. Supported by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration under the Department of Health and Human Services, the network has always provided support to military and veteran families negatively affected by deployment, combat injury or family difficulties during reintegration of the military member back into society.

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