History of the Certification Programs

At the request of professionals from the mental health community we at Crisci & Mayer have developed three Certification Programs.

In the late 1980’s, researcher Jan Hindman developed a research tool that looked at the impact of sexual trauma in adults. With permission, Geraldine Crisci took this initial work, furthering it to develop a tool that assesses the impact of sexual trauma of children, youth and adults.

The assessment model developed by Geraldine has now been utilized and information tracked for over 15 years. The Trauma Assessment Tool has proven to be of invaluable assistance in treatment planning to countless professionals in both Canada and the United States. The most consistent feedback received from clinicians and clients alike is that the assessment process clarifies issues and focuses treatment efforts succinctly and quickly. Recommendations are made in the context of a child’s current stage of development with the express goal of assisting the child in meeting developmental expectations. The tool also allows the clinician to predict potential future treatment needs as a child moves through their development.

Nancy N Mayer has worked with youth and adult trauma survivors for over thirty years. With Geraldine, Nancy has developed a comprehensive assessment and treatment model for adults utilizing these same tools as a foundation. The adult tools are geared to address the complexity of historical abuse. Adults present with differing memory clarity and abilities to trust and form relationships based on their necessary adaptation for safety. These realities necessitate the utilization of a flexible but credible assessment tool.

Another important development in the treatment of children who have been sexually abused is the clinical understanding of the meaning of a sexualized behaviour presentation. In her clinical work over the last fifteen years, Geraldine in collaboration with Colleen Kamps has developed protocols for the assessment and treatment of sexualized behaviour in prepubescent children. Together they have either supervised or directly worked with 1500 of these types of cases. Geraldine has provided training on this issue to thousands of mental health professionals internationally.

What distinquishes our certification programs from others is they are designed to provide an integrated approach to the assessment and treatment of trauma and sexualized behaviour. The theoretical basis of the certification programs integrates current best practices, attachment theory, effects of early trauma on brain development and child and family development, witnessing violence, sexual abuse, sexualized behaviour problems and maltreatment. These programs are carefully designed to provide trainees with a comprehensive model of practice, opportunities to apply what is learned while receiving on-going training, supervision and consultation. When students demonstrate competency in applying the model, certification will be granted.

As a result, successful students of our programs will have a comprehensive knowledge base and applicable clinical skills to treat these populations. Graduates are able to utilize our organization’s Assessment Packages, including trauma assessment tools and interview guides in their work.

It is with this body of knowledge and experience that Crisci & Mayer feel confident in offering the following certification programs to the professional community.