the financial resources will be able to access
it as much as somebody who could pay out of
pocket,” DeBoard-Lucas says.

TRUE will have clinicians on hand who
specialize in time-limited treatments—
typically between 12 to 20 weeks—giving
families a good idea of treatment length.

“We want them to feel well as soon as they
can,” DeBoard-Lucas says, adding that those
treatment plans are also flexible to exten-
sions. No family needs to worry about not
finishing a treatment plan in a limited time.

One example, Wolf notes, is Child and
Family Traumatic Stress Intervention, cre-
ated in Yale University’s Child Study Center,
which focuses on identifying symptoms and
finding coping strategies within the first
three months after a trauma. If providers can
reduce the top two or three symptoms, it’s
less likely other symptoms will develop into
something more severe such as PTSD.

TRUE will also provide training to schools,
other providers who do not specialize in
treatment of trauma, families and commu-
nity members.

“We find that a lot of families will have
questions about ‘what’s typical?’ ‘My child
does not need treatment, or that other ways
exist to respond soon after the trauma that
will make treatment less likely, she explains.

The training can also equip mental health
professionals to treat more patients, increas-
ing accessibility at other treatment centers.

“We want to help the whole community be
advocates for kids,” DeBoard-Lucas says.

The center will be open for telehealth
appointments this fall. The team also hopes
to be able to offer trainings via Zoom and
community centers down the road. A phys-
ical location is slated for Washington, D.C.

Collectively, the five founders are licensed
to see patients in Maryland, Washington and
Virginia, and TRUE will also be accepting
professional volunteers who can donate a
few hours of service to the team. Last spring,
the founders were fundraising through
donations and planing to seek sponsorships
and grants to supplement operational costs
Renee DeBoard-Lucas
and hire employees.

No insurance is required for treatment at
is feeling more irritable. My child is having TRUE Center, but DeBoard-Lucas says she
a hard time sleeping. Is that typical after a plans to accept Medicaid and limited insur-
ance plans in the future.

trauma?’” DeBoard-Lucas says.

To donate, visit truetraumacenter.org. T
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