Riverside Trauma Center News      

Riverside Trauma Center will have speakers at several upcoming conferences:

15th National School Social Work Conference

On Thursday, March 29th Riverside Trauma Center's Larry Berkowitz, Ed.D. and Jim McCauley, LICSW will present in collaboration with Candice Porter, LICSW, Director of External Relations, Screening for Mental Health, Inc. Their topic will be From Suicide Postvention to Prevention:  Smart Actions Save Lives.

National Association of Social Workers - Massachusetts Chapter

Symposium 2012

On Friday, March 30th Riverside Trauma Center's own Jim McCauley, LICSW and Larry Berkowitz, Ed.D. will be presenting a session entitled Postvention Following a Suicide in Schools, Workplaces, and Communities.

American Association on Suicidology Annual Conference

This presentation will be a collaboration between Riverside Trauma Center and the Boston/Framingham branches of Samaritans, Inc. It will focus on the use of social networking following the suicide of a young person.

Clinical Services Director at Riverside Trauma Center Speaks at

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Needham

On December 15, 2011, Joanna Hooper, LICSW spoke about how to cope with stress and depression during the holiday season to a group at BIDMC in Needham. Read this article for more information.

The Brien Center:  A New Partner of the

Riverside-Massachusetts Trauma Response Network

The Brien Center, headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is now part of the Riverside-Massachusetts Trauma Response Network for responding to disasters and traumatic events in Berkshire County. The Network uses a mutual intervention model, with Riverside Trauma Center staff training new partners to help them develop locally-based response teams. In early December 2011, 40 members of the Brien Center team were trained in Psychological First Aid and Post-Traumatic Stress Management. Over 200 people had previously been trained in Berkshire County. Riverside Trauma Center has five partner agencies throughout Massachusetts in this statewide trauma response network.

Riverside Trauma Center Postvention Protocols

Approved by SPRC/AFSP Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention

The Riverside Trauma Center Postvention Protocols have been approved for listing in the Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention, a collaboration between the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). The purpose of the Best Practices Registry, which is located on www.sprc.org, is to identify, review, and disseminate information about best practices that address specific objectives of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Along with the approval, came the comment that "the reviewers thought very highly of the protocols."

Riverside Trauma Center Awarded FEMA Grant:

Helping Massachusetts Communities Overcome Natural Disasters

For many communities in the Commonwealth, record-breaking rainfall in New England this spring led to dangerous levels of flooding.  The damage to homes and businesses has already resulted in over 30,000 claims filed by Massachusetts residents for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

We are pleased to announce that, in recognizing the psychological impact of these types of widespread disasters, FEMA, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), has given the Riverside Trauma Center a $241,000 grant to assist those affected by the flooding.  The 9-month grant, part of a program known as “Mass Support,” will enable the Trauma Center to assist communities and individuals in Essex, Norfolk and Worcester counties.  Trauma Center staff will be reaching out to people directly affected and providing training to help communities better react to and manage stressful situations.

-click here to view video-

Trauma Center Staff Co-Author Chapter in New Book

Larry Berkowitz, Ed.D., Director of the Riverside Trauma Center, and Jim McCauley, LICSW, Associate Director, have co-authored a chapter on “Organizational Postvention after Suicide Death” in the recently published book, Grief After Suicide: Understanding the Consequences and Caring for the Survivors. The chapter also co-authored with Donna Schuurman, Executive Director of the Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon and John R. Jordan, a clinician in private practice in Wellesley, MA and Rhode Island. The book, edited by John R. Jordan and John L. McIntosh and released in October, 2010, is a compilation of articles about the needs of suicide survivors from a variety of perspectives.

Riverside Trauma Center
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Riverside Trauma Center, a service of Riverside Community Care, is a non-profit organization. Services are primarily funded through the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, donations, and grants. All contributions are welcome and appreciated. Some services may require a fee.