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Maine’s behavioral health specialists are looking to the ɫ����ƵSchool of Social Work for expertise in trauma-informed care. Shelley Cohen Konrad, Ph.D., LCSW, FNAP, director of the ɫ����Ƶ School of Social Work in the Westbrook College of Health Professions, and Arabella Pérez, M.S.W., assistant clinical professor, are traveling around the state giving presentations for Health Affiliates Maine, a statewide substance abuse and mental health agency that provides clinical treatment services, case management and psychiatric assessment.

Cohen Konrad, a grief practitioner/researcher and Pérez, an expert in the field of trauma-informed practice, teamed up to offer an innovative workshop that helps behavioral health specialists understand the relationship between people’s loss experiences and trauma. Their daylong workshops in Portland, Bangor and Lewiston cover a wide range of topics related to “Trauma-Informed Transformation after Loss,” including the importance of self-care.

“It has been especially rewarding for Professor Pérez and I to see so many ɫ����Ƶ School of Social Work alumni at these conferences,” said Cohen Konrad. “It has been a reminder of the caliber of our students and the impact ɫ����Ƶ is having on the field of social work in Maine and beyond.”

These presentations come just months after the John T. Gorman foundation announced a significant grant for the School of Social Work to create an academic hub to provide training for social workers in the area of trauma. The goal of the 12-month grant is to develop a comprehensive, education-response plan to ensure that public systems are more responsive and effective in their delivery of services to Maine's people.

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