The UW School Mental Health Assessment Research and Training (SMART) Center has recently received a new R01 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health ($3.6M) to simultaneously (1) conduct the first school-based effectiveness trial of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) in schools and (2) test an innovative implementation strategy to promote consistent, high-quality delivery of TF-CBT among school mental health providers. Aaron Lyon, PhD, Director of the SMART Center, will serve as Principal Investigator on the grant along with colleague Clay Cook, PhD, from the University of Minnesota. The project also involves collaborations with faculty from the UW Departments of Psychology and Global Health.
“We are so happy that this project will provide an opportunity for schools to increase their capacity to deliver supports for students with trauma exposure while building generalizable knowledge about the best ways to make that a reality in schools nationwide,” says Lyon.
 
School districts nationwide have been strongly focused on integrating “trauma-informed” practices into their buildings for a number of years, but despite that momentum there are few practices available with strong evidence to bring to bear on the problem of student trauma. Drs. Lyon and Cook will partner with school districts in Washington and Minnesota to carry out the project.