Emotional trauma care in Philadelphia gets big check

Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability has received $1.6 million to care for children sufferin from emotional trauma.

Abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, injuries; these traumatic events can scar children emotionally, and can have a life-long impact on physical and mental health. Treatment is very effective, especially if interventions happen early on.

Dr. Arthur Evans heads the city’s department of behavioral health. He says the federal grant dollars will help create a network of trauma-informed care.

“It allows us to better screen and identify children and youth,” said Evans. “It allows us to intervene early, and in cases where children have had a longer trauma history to intervene with evidence-based treatments, and it really helps us to collaborate with a range of child-serving agencies.”

For example, pediatricians and hospitals will be trained on screening children for symptoms of emotional trauma. The city will also train therapists in treatment approaches that have been shown to help traumatized youth and their families.