By Jen Velten, MA, LPC, ACS, CCTP, DRCC, CFRC, Senior Director of Trauma Services, Care Plus NJ
Federal funding for behavioral health care supports programs and services across the country, but its impact is ultimately felt at the community level. As a clinician, I see that impact every day in the children and families who are able to access care because those resources are available.
That funding helps children who have experienced trauma get screened and connected with appropriate care. It helps families understand how to support a child after a traumatic experience and ensures behavioral health professionals have the training and resources to respond effectively.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Congressman Frank Pallone’s office alongside a representative from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). The meeting was part of a broader effort by NCTSN sites across the country to help federal policymakers understand the network, the services its members provide and the role federal funding plays in sustaining that work.
Care Plus NJ is a direct-service site within NCTSN, working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. Through federal funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), our work focuses specifically on youth ages 7 to 17, providing individual and family therapy and connecting families with additional resources when needed.
Since October 2025, Care Plus NJ has screened 1,089 young people for trauma, with 184 referred for trauma-focused services. Behind those numbers are children and families who were able to take an important first step toward getting the support they needed.
Federal Support Reaches Far Beyond Washington
One of the greatest strengths of NCTSN is its ability to connect trauma professionals across the country. Through the network, clinicians can draw on current research, peer-reviewed resources and clinical practices that have been reviewed and validated.
For Care Plus NJ, that national infrastructure strengthens the services we can provide here in New Jersey.
I sometimes describe the system surrounding a child as a nest. At the center is the child and family. Around them is their immediate community, followed by clinicians, schools, hospitals, first responders, state programs, national networks and policymakers. How well those different parts of the system work together can directly affect the care and support available to children and families.
We see the importance of those connections across our work. Through programs such as ARRIVE Together, behavioral health professionals can bring a trauma-informed perspective into complex crisis situations, work alongside law enforcement and other community partners, and help connect individuals and families with appropriate services after the immediate crisis has passed.
It is one example of how expertise developed and shared across the behavioral health system can ultimately influence the response someone receives in their own community.
Funding Is Also an Access Issue
Effective trauma treatment can exist within a community and still remain out of reach for the families who need it.
Sometimes the barrier is awareness. Parents may recognize that their child is struggling without knowing specialized trauma services are available nearby. Even when a family knows what kind of help they need, insurance can create another obstacle.
This is especially concerning for families covered by Medicaid, who may already have fewer options for accessing specialized trauma treatment.
At Care Plus NJ, our participation in NCTSN is part of a broader continuum of behavioral health services that includes our Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) and other programs. Families who come to Care Plus NJ through one program can be connected with specialized trauma treatment when appropriate. Care Plus NJ currently has approximately 30 clinicians trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), one approach used to treat trauma.
Maintaining the infrastructure behind specialized trauma care is therefore not only about developing effective treatments. It is about making sure families can actually reach them.
Why Early Access Matters
Sustaining access to childhood trauma services is also an investment in long-term health.
We know adverse experiences during childhood can be associated with mental health, substance use and physical health concerns later in life. But experiencing trauma does not mean those outcomes are inevitable.
Children’s and adolescents’ brains are still developing. When we identify trauma and provide appropriate treatment earlier, we have an opportunity to help young people process what happened before some responses become more deeply ingrained.
We also see what can happen when children are able to access that care. Among young people receiving trauma-focused treatment through Care Plus NJ, the percentage experiencing significant stress behaviors dropped from nearly 29% when they began treatment to just 6% six months later. Anxious or depressed behaviors fell by more than half, from 19% to less than 9%. Young people themselves also reported improvement, with symptoms related to post-traumatic stress decreasing over that same period.
That is why I do not want conversations about childhood trauma to focus only on what has happened to a child. With the right intervention, there is an opportunity for recovery and post-traumatic growth. Maintaining access to that care gives more children the opportunity to shape what comes next.
Continued Federal Support
Our conversation with Congressman Pallone’s office was an opportunity to connect decisions made in Washington with what happens when a child and family seek help in their own community.
Continued federal support for NCTSN helps sustain a network of providers equipped to recognize trauma, respond effectively and connect children with appropriate care. For the children and families we serve, that support can make the difference between knowing help exists and actually being able to receive it.
