Mississippi 2018 State Profile

Dear State ACEs Action Community,

Several colleges/universities in Mississippi are creating Child Advocacy Studies (CAST) Programs that adhere to curriculum standards from the National Child Protection Training Center. For example, my institution, Mississippi State University, will develop a 3-course sequence for a certificate program that adds a credential in experiential, interdisciplinary training in child/family trauma and response. The certificate is meant to be open to community professionals as well as college students. There are many different ways that community members can partner with university faculty. If you or someone you know work(s) in MS with a professional role in teaching, supervising, or training the people who work with (or care for) children/families facing trauma, please read on for opportunities available to develop and retain our workforce in MS and improve evidence-based care for children and families.

Be a CAST Contact – be added to our contact list for updates regarding CAST certificate, such as new CAST courses available on-campus or through distance learning.

Be a CAST Partners – can guest-lecture at the university or consult with faculty to make our courses more relevant to the real-world experience of working with children and families. You can also partner with faculty for assessment and in-service training in trauma-informed evidence-based best practices.

Finally, several University-Community Partnerships have formed (starting February 2018) across MS to provide Problem-Based Learning Simulations as a technique to learn and teach core concepts in trauma and experiential reasoning skills. The training is applicable to many sectors of child-serving professions, including social work, education, medical, mental health, and legal professions, among others. If you have any interest or questions, please message me.

Thank you for all the work each of you does for children, families, and reducing ACEs. 

Arazais Oliveros, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Mississippi State University