Two UConn Health clinical psychiatrists are leading a national project that uses, among other things, characters that re-enact challenging mental health situations, for the benefit of children, teens, and young adults, their families, and the therapists who help them.
The characters, known as the “Trauma Avengers,” share their thoughts and fears through “Digital Diaries,” providing relatable content for struggling youth, and a training tool for behavioral therapists across the country.
We need as therapists to enter the world of the young adults that we are working with… And this has then enabled us to build a bridge from the traditional world of therapy into the modern world of media and social media, and I think that that’s an incredibly important innovation. — Julian Ford
The Trauma Avengers evolved from the work of the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders, a national network of mental health collaborators based at UConn Health and co-directed by founder Julian Ford, professor of psychiatry, and Rocio Chang, assistant professor of psychiatry. Both are guests on the latest UConn Health Pulse podcast.
