Workshop
April 2017
THE ATTACHMENT,
SELF-REGULATION
AND COMPETENCY
(ARC) MODEL
Delphine Collin-Vézina, PhD
Director, Centre for Research on Children and Families
Nicolas Steinmetz and Gilles Julien Chair in Social Pediatrics
in Community
Tier II Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare
Associate Professor, School of Social Work & Associate
Member, Department of Pediatrics
McGill University
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
1
Workshop
April 2017
Youth in Out-of-Home Care
• Data from the National Survey on Child and Adolescent
Well-Being showed that 43% of teenagers in out-of-home
care reported at least one mental health problem:
depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidality, ADHD(1)
• Among 9,942 children and youth in residential care
settings (mean age 10.4)(2)
– 92% of youth reported at least 2 traumatic events.
– 80% were rated as having behaviour problems, 70% had
attachment issues, 65% had academic difficulties, and 42% had
substance use problems.
– As the number of traumas increased, functional impairment
increased.
(1) Heneghan et al., 2013
(2) Briggs et al., 2012
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
2
Workshop
April 2017
Youth in Residential Care: A Quebec Study
Gender
45
Girls
Boys
55
N = 53
Age
20.8
22.6
30.2
26.4
14
15
16
17
Racial Group
20.8
17
18.9
39.6
Aboriginal or
1st Nations
Black
White or
European
Other
Collin-Vézina et al, 2011
Youth in Residential Care: A Quebec Study
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire
None or
minimal
Low to
moderate
Moderate
to severe
Severe to
extreme
38%
32%
19%
26%
62% (none)
6%
45%
15%
41.5%
24.5%
9%
9%
9%
15%
17%
34%
32%
23%
25%
17%
62%
68%
38%
55%
59%
Type of
Abuse
Physical
abuse
Emotional
abuse
Sexual
abuse
Physical
neglect
Emotional
neglect
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
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Workshop
April 2017
Youth in Residential Care: A Quebec Study
Compounded maltreatment:
• 83% of the sample reported at least one form of
maltreatment.
• 76% of the youth reported MULTIPLE (2 or MORE)
forms of maltreatment.
• 64% of the youth reported 3 forms of maltreatment.
• 40% of the youth reported 4 forms of maltreatment.
• 19% of the sample experienced ALL 5 TYPES of child
maltreatment.
Youth in Residential Care: A Quebec Study
However, the reasons these 53 youth were taken into child
protection care (3 sub-sections) were poorly reflective of
the traumas experienced:
• 83,0% behaviour problems
• 26,4% neglect
• 5,7% sexual abuse,
• 5,7% abandonment
• < 5% emotional abuse
• < 5% physical abuse
Milne & Collin-Vézina, 2014
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
4
Workshop
April 2017
Adolescent male who
is…
Aggressive to people
Deceitful
Not receptive to
feedback
Easily frustrated
Belittling
Quick to anger
A young person
who is suffering
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
5
Workshop
April 2017
NTCSN: Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
Partner with
Other Agencies
and Systems
Broader
Child-Serving System
Child Welfare
System
Family
Child
Partner with
Child and
Family
Enhance Staff
Well-Being and
Resilience
Maximize
Physical and
Emotional
Safety
Identify Child
and Family’s
trauma-
Related Needs
Enhance
Family Well-
Being and
Resilience
Enhance Child
Well-Being and
Resilience
NCTSN Child Welfare
Committee , 2012
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
6
Workshop
April 2017
ARC: A Systemic Approach to Trauma
Of the handful of trauma-
informed interventions, to
our knowledge, only one
presents a multi-systemic
design that allows for
implementation among
direct-care staff.
Targets the 3 core resiliency
domains:
A Attachment
R Regulation
C Competency
Blaustein & Kinniburgh, 2010
ARC: A Systemic Approach to Trauma
• Evidence- and practice-informed treatment
• Grounded in trauma theory, attachment, and child
development.
• As a whole, these theories highlight the importance of:
– Working with the youth-in-context,
– Recognizing that the youth’s current adaptive responses are
linked to historical experiences,
– Promoting intervention within the immediate environment –
whether primary caregivers or treatment systems – to
support the youth’s growth and development.
• Recognized as a promising practice by the NCTSN and
SAMHSA
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
7
Workshop
April 2017
THE ATTACHMENT,
SELF-REGULATION
AND COMPETENCY
(ARC) MODEL
ARC: A Systemic Approach to Trauma
Flexible application according the intervention context:
Individual, family, and group therapy; children, parents, milieux
Trauma-impacted CHILD
Formation sur le trauma et le
modèle d’intervention ARC
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