William Steele, MA, MSW, PsyD
TLC Director and Founder

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William Steele, MSW, PsyD is the Founder and Director of The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, established in 1990. In 2007 he was appointed Executive Director of Children's Home of Detroit. Dr. Steele has developed, published and produced numerous books, articles, trauma-specific intervention programs and resource materials. He has trained well over 40,000 professionals. After the Gulf War he was one of the first Americans selected by the Kuwait government to provide trauma intervention training for their newly formed mental health staff. Whether in the aftermath of the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma, the tragedy of 9/11, the ravages of the tsunami, the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, or the critical incidents that occur in schools and communities, Dr. Steele’s programs and resources are helping thousands of children, families and professionals every day.

Dr. Steele is author of numerous publications, including evidence-based trauma intervention programs for children, adolescents and families currently being used in schools and agencies across the country by the 5,000+ professionals who have completed their TLC Trauma and Loss School or Clinical Specialist Certification. When asked, he lets all know he is most proud of the hundreds of TLC professionals who have given countless hours of their time to research and field-test TLC programs and resource materials to insure they bring traumatized children relief from the terror of their experiences.

Click here for Dr. Steele's resume
Email Dr. Steele at steele@tlcinst.org

Documented History

2007
I really like the layout of this (TLC online) course and it is meeting my needs... This is the first course I have taken as I am registered at the summer institute for level one. Thanks!
Theresa Coyne Frase

2006
Once again I have to commend TLC for the tools you have provided me with as a TLC member. As this school year began we had one high school that had 3 students die in 2 separate car accidents on the weekend before school began. Our TERT team felt well equipped to deal with supporting the school after planning our response for the first day of school, although a sad time, it was responded to utilizing our own school board response procedure that is complimented by the TLC materials and trained CYC's.

Further to this, a custodian of the same school died while working at the school last Monday evening and once again we were able to respond utilizing the same valuable resources - thank you...since we have received much positive feedback for our response to this additionally sad time I wanted to share with you how incredibly valuable TLC resources are for us. At the end of the day we called in an additional 9 TLC trained CYC's to do some small group operational debriefing (for a very large staff group) and once again the resources TLC afforded us helped to make the response run smoothly and effectively. Thank-you!
Janice Walker, Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, Belleville, Ontario

I just returned from the [9/11 fifth year Anniversary] ceremony at the Pentagon. It was good to see so many of our families. Thank you so much for all you did to help us. Your trauma work was an important part of their recovery.
Annemarie M. Bezold, LCSW, Coordinator, Grief Program, Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board

I attended the week long training in San Diego, CA in 2002. It was held at the Double Tree Hazzard Centre. I am from Yuma, AZ. I coordinate our countywide trauma response team which consists of school counselors, psychologists, and nurses from 9 different school districts in our county. Also included on our team are mental health professionals from 3 different community agencies and at least a dozen or more first responders including a rep. from each law enforcement agency and fire service in our community, both city and county. We have done this work since 2001 and have responded way to often to a number of tragic events. Since January 1, 2004, when I actually began keeping track of our work, we have had 25 kids under the age of 19 die in our small community. We have provided interventions in each of those cases. 14 of those were different car accidents, 2 suicides, 5 small children in a mass murder of a family near one of our schools, one child who died in the bathroom at school and 3 drownings. We have been rather busy. Your materials have been incredibly helpful to all of us, and we appreciate your continued work. Our town is fairly isolated and very near the mexican border about 2.5 hours from San Diego, and about the same from Phoenix. It was here that we had the car accident with 22 illegal aliens packed in a suburban and ran from border patrol a few weeks ago. 10 died at the scene and another 2 at hospitals later in the week. We utilize our team both in and out of the school setting and get our share of practice. We have learned a lot in the last 5 years. I just wanted to say thanks for all that you do.
Tori Bourguignon, M.Ed. NCC, Counselor Coordinator, Yuma School District 1, YCCISM Team Director

I am writing to let you know that after 12 years in the field, I have made a career change and won't be renewing my membership at this time. I hope to sometime in the future. I also wanted to let you know that my certification was one of the most important things I ever did in my career. It allowed me to help many children in my small rural community and it was the most rewarding part of my job. Thank you for giving me that opportunity.
Tammy Taylor, Gardnerville NV

2005
I listened to the atrocities that occurred in the Super Dome. I saw the chemical burns on the legs of the men who stood in the floodwater sewage for 72 plus hours waiting for rescue. I counseled a family who endured the horrors of the Dome for five days only to have their father killed as their bus flipped on the way to Houston . . . I did talk with Dr. Steele at TLC and participated in a debriefing he did for us here in Houston. I listened carefully especially to the part about “forgiving yourself” for not being perfect. I was trying to help others from Katrina but here I was not doing well when Rita came our way. Dr. Steele and all the lessons we learned from him have given me and the some 200 volunteers he spent time with much needed relief from all we were exposed to as volunteers as well survivors of Rita. Thanks for being here.
Dr. C, Houston, Texas

2004
An amazing thing happened in my hone last night. I found a copy of "Brave Bart," as I was cleaning out a book case and I convinced my five-year-old niece to allow me to read to her. She loves cats, so the subject was appealing. She sat very quietly and listened to every word. When the story was over, I told her how brave she was since mommy died and she convinced me to read it again. I can't remember if she has ever sat in my lap for this long a period of time. During the second reading, she actually fell asleep and it was only 8:00 pm. Amanda rarely can sleep before midnight, since her mother died on 9/11. I don't remember who brought me this book (Brave Bart), but I am forever grateful.
Deborah O’Conner, Whitestone, Queens, New York

2003
You have done a service that will have lasting impact. Rest assured that when trauma again visits they young people at our clinics it will be TLC we turn to for assistance.
Charles Bass, PhD., Captain U.S. Army, Fort Wainwright, Alaska

2001
Dr. Steele was extremely helpful to us in our work with the 9/11 families in the DC area. The TLC programs are exactly what we needed.
Anne Marie Bezold, LCSW, Fairfax County, Virginia

2000
Even though our years of structured training and subsequent successful responses put us ahead of most districts, Dr. Steele and TLC’s weeklong training has been a quantum leap.
Peter Lefaivre, M.Ed., Kenton County Schools, Kentucky

2000
A program that comes from the people who work in the trenches is so welcomed.
Cathy Wunderlich, MSW, School Counselor, Illinois

1998
Not just the “why” but the “how”.
Tamara Bhibaugh, LPC, Oklahoma

1997
Words will not adequately express our gratitude for the assistance you gave to our students and staff the past several days.
Joan Sergent, Ed.D., Superintendent, Utica Schools, Michigan

1996
Focused, direct, practical strategies at a time when managed care calls for measurable outcomes.
Kennedy Krieger Family Center, Maryland

1992
We are indebted to you for helping us overcome the horrors of our invasion.
Social Development Office, Kuwait

1986
In concise language, Mr. Steele’s book on survivors, gives insight and understanding of what it means to be a survivor.
Iris Bolton, A Survivor and Director of Link Counseling Center, Atlanta, Georgia

1984
Mr. Steele’s manual will undoubtedly be responsible for preventing untimely deaths. It presents a systematic way to be more aware of the indicators and preconditions of teenage suicide.
Victor Bloom, M.D., Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Wayne State University, Michigan