Frequently Asked Questions
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Project FORECAST (Foundations for OutReach through Experiential Child Advocacy Studies Training) is a collaboration of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) and University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS).
Our simulations aim to create a workforce that’s capable and competent in responding to childhood trauma while promoting resiliency and reducing further trauma. Project FORECAST is a federally funded program of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA).
Long used in the field of medical education, PBL-S is a teaching method that utilizes titrated, staged curricular input (i.e., learning modules) in a small group learning format to build critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Simulations, another teaching tool rooted in the medical field, involve creating a particular set of conditions to study or experience something likely to occur in the real world.
FORECAST merges these two methodologies to create an engaging, effective, and memorable learning experience. Through our PBL-S, participants increase their understanding of the Core Concepts of Child Traumatic Stress and build competencies via the Trauma-Informed Experiential and Reasoning Skills (TIERS).
Our simulations are designed for current or future child-serving professionals who want to understand the impacts of childhood trauma and become more trauma-informed in their work. Simulations work well in undergraduate courses in a wide range of disciplines, graduate courses, medical training programs, and community-based trainings for anyone looking to build knowledge and skills about child trauma.
Our simulations, embedded in the PBL process, make the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom more applicable to real-life situations. As a result, students are better prepared to intervene with clients in trauma-informed ways once they enter the workforce, and participants already working as child-serving professionals are able to hone their skills and better understand the impact of trauma.
Developed and disseminated by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, The 12 Core Concepts for Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses in Children and Families serve as a conceptual foundation for practitioners and agencies to consider as they seek to serve trauma-exposed individuals, families, and groups.
Trauma-Informed Experiential and Reasoning Skills (TIERS) is a compilation of interdisciplinary workforce and trauma competencies. The aim of TIERS is to help students and professionals acquire trauma-informed skills based in four domains: Self, Consumer, Team, and Community. FORECAST activities offer participants opportunities to practice these skills across three settings: Classroom, Simulations, and Real World.
The ten TIERS include:
- Professional Conduct
- Trauma-Informed Knowledge
- Trauma-Informed Methodologies
- Consumer Engagement
- Screening and Assessment
- Intervention Strategies
- System Collaboration
- Professional Communication
- Prevention
- Advocacy
We’re disseminating Project FORECAST trainings across the United States through a growing number of facilitators. To locate a FORECAST facilitator, please visit our map.
If a facilitator isn’t available nearby, please get in touch. Our team can help bring a training to you, either virtually or in-person.
Approved FORECAST facilitators can conduct classroom- or community-based trainings using the FORECAST simulations and materials. For more information about becoming an approved facilitator, please contact us.
We train prospective facilitators via learning collaboratives. These consist of two in-person learning sessions (one three-day session and one two-day session) spaced six months apart. FORECAST faculty provide additional support during the learning period through monthly consultation phone calls.
To access simulation resources, please log in to access Facilitator Resources.