In an increasingly stressful, productivity-driven world, one might ask themselves, “Why would mental health professionals add more to their plates? Why would they agree to do a Trauma Intensive Comprehensive Clinical Assessment (TiCCA) for clients, rather than a regular Comprehensive Clinical Assessment (CCA)? Are we just reinventing the wheel?” Benchmarks’ Clinical Coaches, Jacqueline Millican-Crabb, LCSW, LCAS, CCS of Nazareth Child & Family Connection, and Celena Ditz, MS, LMFT of Children’s Homes of Cleveland County, discuss this “labor of love” while training clinicians new to the TiCCA process. Both clinical coaches are passionate about TiCCA work and have witnessed how these assessments and subsequent treatment recommendations can benefit everyone.
TiCCAs require time, several more hours than is required for a traditional CCA. TiCCAs were developed specifically with the Child Welfare system in mind, whereas CCAs are more generalized. The TiCCAs are also incredibly holistic, meaning we do not just focus on the diagnoses and behaviors, but rather the entire familial picture. You may find recommendations for medication management, involvement in school sports, art activities, and being involved with animals. Jacque and Celena note that TiCCAs are a “labor of love” given the progress that is seen with not only clients but with their families and larger systems.
No recommendation is “too big” or “too small” to be included. After completing the TiCCA, the clinician meets with the social workers and families to discuss the results and recommendations, ensuring that a mutual understanding of the diagnoses and reasoning behind recommendations is shared with all parties. The holistic recommendations are then implemented into the child’s Family Services Agreement with the DSS, and treatment is started.
While certainly a laborious process, the outcomes we see have consistently shown more appropriate diagnoses given to these children, leading to the provision of the most appropriate model of care for their needs. TiCCAs allow for the clinician to recommend the best service for the child, even if that service is not currently available in the community. What good is that you ask? If the service is not available, the clinician will recommend the next best service that is available, and the child will receive that service. In the meantime, since the clinician is recommending services that are not available, Benchmarks’ Partnering for Excellence project has been able to track and make data available as to how many families would benefit from those services. This has led to communities, such as Rowan County, being able to add such services as Triple P-Positive Parenting Program to their service array, benefiting individual children, families, and the community at large. The TiCCA process is hard work, but work worth doing and with love entwined in each step.
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