Research

A group of researchers sit around a table looking at statistics. An open laptop shows a bar graph with data on it.

Research is at the center of every framework created for trauma-informed care plans. Having thorough research ensures that each model, treatment, or assessment is effective for clients across demographic and community lines. Research at Fam-TREAT has been used to inform the public, assess families for trauma symptomatology, and expand the field's understanding of complex trauma. 

FITT Center

In 2007, University of Maryland’s School of Medicine and its partners, the University of Maryland School of Social Work, and the Kennedy Krieger Family Center, received a Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration grant for the Family-Informed Trauma Treatment or FITT Center.

NCTSN chose the FITT Center to serve as a national expert on the role of families in the lives of children impacted by trauma and to further the availability of effective family trauma treatments.

Several resources have been developed, including:

Other Resources

National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH)

https://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/

The NCSHM was created to strengthen policies and programs aimed at increasing effective school mental health services. The organization has led at least 15 research projects and been a part of several policy collaborations to advance children's mental health.

Family Centered Treatment (FTC) 

https://www.familycenteredtreatment.org/publications-reports

FTC is an evidence-based research model developed to address 1) forced removal of their children from the home, or 2) dissolution of the family due to external and internal stressors and circumstances. Studies have assessed fidelity for FTC and how practitioners can navigate juvenile justice and referrals.

 

Recommended Articles

  • Carr, A. (2025). Family therapy and systemic interventions for child-focused problems: the current evidence base. Journal of Family Therapy, 47, e12476. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-6427.12226
  • Kirkbride, J., Anglin, D., Colman, I., Dykxhoorn, J., Jones, P., Patalay, P., Pitman, A., Soneson, E., Steare, T., Wright, T. & Griffiths, S.L. (2024). The social determinants of mental health and disorder: evidence, prevention and recommendations. World Psychiatry, 23, 58-90. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10786006/
  • Kiser, L., & Black, M. (2005). Family processes in the midst of urban poverty. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 10(6), 715-750.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2005.02.003
  • Lee, A., Chin, P., Nambiar, A., & Hill Haskins, N. (2023). Addressing intergenerational trauma in Black families: Trauma-informed socioculturally attuned family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 49, 447–462. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12632
  • Mehta, D., Kelly, A., Laurens, K., Haslam, D., Williams, K., Walsh, K., Baker, P., Carter, H., Khawaja, N., & Mathews, B. (2023). Child Maltreatment and Long-Term Physical and Mental Health Outcomes: An Exploration of Biopsychosocial Determinants and Implications for Prevention. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 54, 421–435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01258-8 
  • Walsh, F. (2007). Traumatic loss and major disasters: strengthening family and community resilience. Fam Process. 46(2). 207-27. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17593886/