Editorial from the Director
William Steele, PsyD, MSW

The hurricanes of 2005 presented many challenges and lessons to be learned. Compassion fatigue and secondary traumatization among helpers was significant. Hurricane Rita actually turned many helpers into victims adding to the unique reactions these storms created for helpers and victims alike.

We want to thank all of you who donated funds to TLC to donate copies of Brave Bart as well as those who donated their time to work at the various shelters. Your generosity was remarkable and certainly made a significant difference in the lives of so many displaced families and children.

We encourage you to take time to read through the many experiences of TLC members who spent endless hours responding to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and some of the same helpers who became victims of Hurricane Rita. Their stories teach us a great deal and will better prepare us for future large-scale disasters.

TLC’s journal will now be an “online” journal. This provides us with a bit more flexibility as to what we present, saves a great deal of time in preparing the journal, and is more cost-effective.

In 2006 we are diligently working to maintain all our services while attempting to strengthen the value of our current intervention programs through evidenced-based research, providing new presentations, and increasing the recognition and use of TLC programs and resources across the country.

We are quite excited about two major research projects funded in 2006. Restoring Hope and Resiliency in At-Risk and Adjudicated Youth has begun in Georgia and Ohio. TLC’s Trauma Intervention Program has been adjusted specifically for at-risk adjudicated youth 11-16 years of age as a result of a yearlong effort by Jacque Jacobs of Atlanta, Georgia. The results of her preliminary outcome using TLC’s program can be found on our website (click here) The outcome was impressive enough to attract funding for formal research.

Children of Today: Short-Term Help, Long-Term Gains will involve two school districts in Michigan. It will focus on children 6-12 years of age and research the outcome of TLC’s intervention programs in urban and suburban settings. Both projects will keep us quite busy but provide the evidence-based data necessary for acceptance of our intervention programs by major organizations and institutions.

We are more than excited about our upcoming First Annual Childhood Trauma Practitioners Assembly, July 11-14. It will provide many of our members the opportunity to present their work with unique populations as well as give non-members with trauma expertise the opportunity to present us with additional strategies. We have had a wonderful response to our Call for Presenters and will have detailed schedule information available in February. There are a few presentation slots still available. Please contact us immediately if you would like to apply. This can be a wonderful opportunity to network as well as share your work with your peers.

Finally, I want to thank all of you who responded to our year-end survey. What a fantastic response! We truly appreciate the wonderful recommendations, ideas, and thoughts you gave us about what we could do to better serve you and increase TLC’s value. We are still in the process of discussion and evaluation of how best to integrate your suggestions into our program and everyday operation. You really gave us quite a bit to think about as to our future direction and services. Thank you all very much. We do sincerely appreciate your interest in helping us.

We wish all of you the best in 2006 and we will continue to provide you the same support you have provided us over the years.

Bill Steele

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