About the Center
Founded in 2009 and originally located within the Walnut Avenue Family and Women’s Center in Santa Cruz, the California Center of Excellence for Trauma Informed Care (CCETIC) promotes trauma-informed practices within California’s social service sector. The Center works to achieve this goal through the creation of informative, research-based white papers and guides, the Unsafe Behaviors Inventory pilot study, and the Stop Trusted Advisor Abuse public advocacy campaign.
Learn More
The Unsafe Behaviors Inventory (UBI) is a survey created by the Center to measure reductions in unsafe behaviors over time. The UBI tool is designed to be used by treatment providers delivering trauma-informed, safety-focused, and skill-building services and supports. Agencies or individuals interested in the study can find more detailed information on our UBI Survey page.
The Center also provides direct services. Since November 2009, CCETIC director Gabriella Grant has offered no-cost drop-in Seeking Safety groups for women in downtown Santa Cruz. Originally hosted by the Walnut Avenue Family and Women’s Center and then Siena House, the groups have offered accessible, affordable, and effective treatment for over 800 women. Seeking Safety is a collaborative effort between the Center and partner agencies. Agencies interested in hosting Seeking Safety groups can contact traumainformedcalifornia@gmail.com or visit our Seeking Safety page for more information.
As director of the California Center of Excellence for Trauma Informed Care, Gabriella Grant oversees the Center’s research, program and professional development, and policy analysis activities. Her background includes heading the nation’s first community-corrections-based victim advocacy program and running a three-year project funded by the California Department of Public Health to increase access to domestic violence shelters by women with mental health and/or substance abuse issues. The domestic violence shelter project showed that it is possible to increase capacity to serve women with co-occurring disorders by understanding trauma and developing programs that respond to people’s need for safety.
Our Mission
The mission of the California Center of Excellence for Trauma Informed Care is to transform publicly funded programs and systems by strengthening their understanding of the broad effects of trauma and increasing safety in behavior, lives, and communities in California and across the nation.
The Center is focusing its efforts on providing high quality research and education for the public. Currently, the Center is working on creating individual-level certification courses on trauma-informed care and stopping trusted advisor abuse. For more information, contact traumainformedcalifornia@gmail.com.
To give a tax-deductible donation to the California Center of Excellence for Trauma Informed Care, please contact Gabriella Grant at 831-515-7570.