Education/Training
Training Specialists in Child Abuse
Today C.A.U.S.E.S. is one of the most sought-after training sites in the Chicago area for graduate students in psychology and social work. Our goal is to attract the best people coming out of today’s graduate schools to care for society’s neediest children. We provide unequaled support and training in the growing specialty of child abuse treatment, including diagnosis, risk assessment, multicultural issues, use of psychological evaluations, child development, suicide assessment, and treatment. Students enjoy a unique opportunity to combine clinical training with protective issues, and to participate as an integral part of our staff. Trainees work with children, adolescents, and adults in individual, family, and group therapy; they receive three hours per week of individual supervision; and they participate in a variety of seminars on topics of special interest.
Training Pediatricians
We provide training in sexual abuse issues to resident pediatricians from Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center as part of their one-month rotation at Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital. During their time at C.A.U.S.E.S., residents are exposed to our treatment philosophy and receive an overview of the legal system dealing with sexual abuse; they study tapes of therapy sessions and discuss the role and responsibility of pediatricians as mandated reporters of child abuse; and they spend a half day in court with C.A.U.S.E.S. staff. We are not reimbursed for this training, but we view it as an opportunity to save lives. Any pediatrician who has spent a month at C.A.U.S.E.S. knows what to look for and what to do if he or she suspects that a child seen in the ER, a neighborhood clinic, or a regular office visit has been abused.