Trauma-Informed Intervention with Children: Integrating the CANS Assessment with the ARC Framework in a Clinical Setting

Ongoing trauma-focused assessment is critical to developing trauma-informed treatment plans. The current study examines the clinical benefits of utilizing the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment to guide intervention based on the Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) model to address children's trauma related symptoms in a rural state. WV CANS was developed by adapting the language of original CANS to be culturally specific to the state's unique situation and culture in consultation with the original CANS developer. This study included the data from children who received mental health services under WV CANS-ARC mapping from 2017 to 2019. Children's trauma-related symptoms are assessed using the WV CANS at intake and every 90 days to identify any changes in their symptoms. In order to examine the changes of traumatic symptoms over time, the study was limited to children who have at least three time points, with a total of 362 children used for the current analyses using Multilevel modeling with SAS PROC MIXED. The study found that children's trauma related symptoms significantly decreased in all ARC outcome domains over time after adjusting for basic demographic variables. The current study contributes to the evidence on treatment for children's trauma-related symptoms, especially with the application of the CANS-ARC mapping in a real-world clinical setting. The findings have significant implications for clinicians in integrating the assessment and treatment process using CANS-ARC mapping and for cross-system collaboration with continuity of care serving children who have experienced trauma.