As mental health agencies make decisions regarding whether they want to participate in pilot projects, it is beneficial for them to gather valuable information including feedback from agencies who already participate in the projects. Trauma-intensive Comprehensive Clinical Assessment (TiCCA) clinicians Dale Smith of the Children’s Center of Northwest NC and Mollie Hedgecock of Rockingham County Youth Services participated in an information session with behavioral healthcare providers who are considering TiCCA work in the Eastpointe Human Services catchment. Both clinicians discussed the benefits of TiCCA work for their clients and for their agencies. They shared their experiences with the processes associated with TiCCAs and their respective projects.
One of the benefits of an agency becoming a TiCCA provider within the context of a pilot project is that Benchmarks’ Clinical Coaches provide training and coaching support throughout the TiCCA certification process. This is beneficial for clinicians as they receive real-time feedback on areas of strength and improvement, which allows them to hone their skills with each successive assessment. Dale and Mollie both advised the potential TiCCA providers that one of the primary benefits of utilizing the TiCCA is that it is comprehensive and holistic. The TiCCA not only requires work with children and families, but with other services or agencies that are involved with them. Clinicians can gather more in-depth information from these collateral sources, and this allows them to have different perspectives on the child and family’s history. The standardized measures utilized during the TiCCA assessment process are very accessible to clinicians. The use of these standardized measures is beneficial to children, families, and clinicians as they provide more extensive information about the family at that point in time. Utilizing TiCCAs not only focuses on the mental health needs of the child but includes other social and developmental details of a child’s life, allowing clinicians to make recommendations for the whole child. Overall, both clinicians agreed that utilizing the TiCCA and its processes provides hope and healing for those they serve.
Having experienced TiCCA clinicians give insight concerning the realities of implementing this work to potential providers is of great benefit. It allows the prospective providers to get a ground-level view of the intricacies of TiCCAs, to learn from those who have successfully implemented these practices, and to make the best decision for their agency regarding participating in future TiCCA work. We appreciate our current TiCCA clinicians’ willingness to chart the course and advise those who may be coming after them!
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