At the conclusion of your child’s Forensic Interview, the Victim Advocate will speak with you about your desire for your child to receive mental health services with our agency.  Should you choose to seek therapy services, the Victim Advocate will then make a referral to the staff Trauma Therapist who will then reach out to you via phone to schedule an initial therapy assessment appointment. This assessment can take place in the Lonoke or Brinkley offices.

At this assessment appointment, we will complete the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screening (CATS). This assessment is a screening tool utilized to assess for trauma related symptoms and their severity after traumatic events. The therapist will provide the assessment to the caregiver and child (ages 7-17) to determine if the child may benefit from treatment. (Children ages 3-6 do not receive the assessment, only the caregiver.)

After the CATS assessment, the therapist will determine the scores and provide the caregiver with the results. Should you or your child's scores meet criteria for trauma therapy, the therapist will work with you to set up an appointment to complete intake paperwork and initiate regular therapy visits. Otherwise, should neither you or your child's scores meet criteria for trauma therapy, the therapist will provide you with a list of alternative mental health agencies local to you, should you continue to desire mental health services for your child.

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Even if you do not think your child is in need of therapy services, we highly encourage you to still schedule a trauma assessment. Many times caregivers are unaware that their child is experiencing trauma symptoms and the assessment is helpful to highlight these. Additionally, having the assessment does not bind your child to receive therapy, it can simply be used as a tool to help you gauge their current status.