CPTS is part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). It brings together a unique multi-disciplinary team headquartered at three institutions: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Nemours Children’s Health, and University of Kentucky HealthCare. We work closely with family
advocates and frontline healthcare providers around the United States and internationally.
Our mission is to reduce pediatric medical traumatic stress by promoting trauma-informed healthcare. We reach healthcare providers and systems - disseminating evidence-based practices and screening tools and training providers to recognize and address traumatic stress in children. We provide resources for pediatric patients and their families in English and Spanish.
Selected Podcast
Providing Trauma-Informed Pediatric Care. What it Means, and How UK HealthCare Can Help
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Meghan Marsac, PhD
Meghan Marsac, PhD
Dr. Meghan Marsac is a pediatric psychologist and a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky and Kentucky Children’s Hospital. She serves as the site PI for the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress (Category II).Learn more about Meghan Marsac, PhD
Transcription:
Joey Wahler (Host): The National Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress just celebrated its 20th anniversary, so we're discussing their great work and the importance of trauma informed pediatric care. This is UK HealthCast, presented by UK Healthcare.. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler, our guest, Dr. Megan Marsach, a pediatric psychologist at Kentucky Children's Hospital and Associate director of the National Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress. Dr. Marsac, thanks for joining us.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you for having me. I'm happy to be here.
Joey Wahler (Host): Happy to have you. So first off, when we say trauma informed pediatric care, in a nutshell, for the uninitiated, what exactly do we mean?
Dr Meghan Marsac: When we think about trauma-informed, care for our kids, we're thinking about. What they're coming into medical institutions with. So the things that happen to kids before they come into the doctor's office before they come into the hospital. Those could be things like abuse, neglect, car accidents, that sort of thing. In addition, we think about what happens in the medical setting that can be really scary or potentially traumatic for kids. So thinking about how do we work as a medical school team to identify when these challenges are there for kids and families and what can we do to prevent or address trauma when it does happen?
Joey Wahler (Host): Gotcha. So before we go any further, congratulations on your 20th anniversary.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you. We've had some great accomplishments over the last few years.
Joey Wahler (Host): Sounds like. And so what was the general thinking behind the development of the National Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress?
Dr Meghan Marsac: the primary goal of the center is to take evidence-based resources and what we know from science and translate them into materials that, healthcare teams can use in their daily practice with kids and families. So introducing strategies that we know help kids and families when they're going through medical treat. And have healthcare providers use those regularly, routinely in their care of their families. We also create resources for kids and families themselves with like tip sheets and workbooks and things of that nature to try to help empower parents and kids to navigate the healthcare experience.
Joey Wahler (Host): So what would be just a few examples of conditions or scenarios that kids and their families face that you deal with the most?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So I think things all the way from some of the. Things that seem really simple like vaccinations. We know for some kids those are really, really scary and create worries weeks ahead of the time when they're getting a vaccination. For some of our families, they might more be like chronic conditions like cancer, or they might have had an accident, like a motor vehicle accident or an accident in a sport that's landing him in the hospital and having lots of complex medical needs.
Joey Wahler (Host): Interesting. You mentioned vaccinations because certainly we've heard tons about that over the last few years, obviously, and we don't hear so much about. Its impact on kids, particularly from a psychological or a mental standpoint. So it sounds like that's a big part of what you do, or at least somewhat, right?
Dr Meghan Marsac: Yeah, so we know that needle fears is huge for kids. I would say even in the clinical care that I provide. For kids with chronic conditions, we have a lot of consults to help kids deal with needle sticks and needle fairs. One of the things that UK did really beautifully when they created a recent vaccine clinic when they were rolling out the Covid vaccine Clinic was created in a way that they engaged the kids in the process and created a treasure map and created reward systems for kids as they got their vaccinations and they used different, Freeze sprays and numbing sprays to make the experience from the beginning better for our kids and decrease fears and decrease the risk of those emotional reaction.
Joey Wahler (Host): That sounds great. So what types of services are provided by the center?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So the Center does offer trainings for medical teams across the nation. So we've trained thousands of medical providers across the nation and how to integrate trauma-informed medical practice into their daily care. We provide free online continuing education courses, for nurses and some other healthcare professionals that they can go on and access through healthcaretoolbox.org and get continuing education about medical trauma and what they can do in their positions as well. And we also provide downloadable, handouts both in English and Spanish for kids and families that can go and do a workbook about things such as like how to cope with a hospitalization or what to do with a new diagnosis and things like that.
Joey Wahler (Host): How long have you, yourself, been involved in this type of work?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I first joined the center, when I was finishing my own training back in 2009, I started specializing in pediatric psychology, goodness, I think in my graduate school years, which dates me a little bit there, back in 2006 ish, around then, so nearly 20 years for me as well.
Joey Wahler (Host): Well, congratulations on that too then. And the reason I asked for one thing is I'm just wondering, generally speaking, do you find the issues that kids have nowadays that require this type of treatment? Has it changed at all over the years?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I think one of the biggest things that's changed, is our ability to recognize the emotional health aspect of physical care. One thing that's shifted in our medical community over time is we're much more, able with all these amazing scientific discoveries to provide awesome lifesaving interventions for kids that we didn't use to be able to provide. So as we have more and more kids surviving and thriving physically from some of these disorders, it really highlights though the toll that some of these really intense treatments take on kids and families. And so we are starting to recognize the importance of treating the whole child and the whole family and thinking about emotional health along with physical health over time.
Joey Wahler (Host): Interesting. So what type of training for your team members does that typically require?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So this at the center, we are a multidisciplinary team. We have physicians, emergency room physicians, pediatricians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, of various different. Backgrounds on our team. And so we really try to think about it from all the healthcare providers perspectives. The other thing that we have on our team is, family representatives. So we have teams of parents who have had kids that have a lot of interaction with the healthcare system that give us feedback on things that we're creating to make sure that we're meeting the needs of families too.
So our training ranges graduate degrees to undergraduate degrees, to having lived experience, and trying to figure out bringing that all together to create the best resources that we can for kids and families.
Joey Wahler (Host): And certainly I would imagine that those involved in this type of work need both compassion and a great passion for it. Right?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I think that the center runs on passion more than anything else, for sure. And I think having the family representatives certainly can help us zone in on the areas where maybe more compassion is needed and where we need to think about not just getting used to medical treatments as medical teams, but thinking about what's this family's unique experience and how do we support them in their unique experience and their unique journey. And we are a team full of passionate people for sure, in our mission to make medical care better for kids and families.
Joey Wahler (Host): And so Doctor, what would you say are some of the typical signs a parent might see that their child needs this type of intervention?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So we always say if you have any concerns or worries about your child's emotional health to check with your pediatrician and start there. Things to look out for, just for general changes and emotions. Kids eating changes, sometimes kids sleeping changes. So, for some of our kids, they'll start thinking about their medical care or thinking about their accident or their trauma all the time. For other kids, they'll refuse to talk about it and not wanna acknowledge it. Might wanna avoid their medications. Some of our other kids, we see huge shifts in mood or they get really jumpy or, have a hard time sleeping or settling at night. So anytime you see any of those sorts of symptoms, it's a great idea to follow up with it, with your child's doctor.
Joey Wahler (Host): And finally, what general advice would you give for parents of children that may need this type of care? You just mentioned some of the signs to look for, but what would your overall message to those parents be?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I think when we think about parenting, , you are your child's champion and there's help out there as well. So if you're feeling overwhelmed with your child's emotions or behaviors or medical treatment, there's help for you as well out there too. So thinking about both your child's, symptoms and needs and advocating and asking and continuing to ask questions if you're not getting the answers that you feel are supporting your child in the way that they need to be supported. And also keeping in mind your own health and making sure that you're getting support that you need to as a.
Joey Wahler (Host): You are your child's champion. Well put, doctor.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you, that's a for real one for sure.
Joey Wahler (Host): And before we let you go, congratulations again on both your personal and your team's 20th anniversary and continued success and keep up the great work.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you so much for having me today.
Joey Wahler (Host): Thanks for being here. And folks we trust your now more familiar with Trauma informed Pediatric Care, Dr. Meghan Marsac with us here today. And a reminder that if you need more information, you can call 859-323-6211. Again, that's 859-323-6211. That's the Kentucky Children's Hospital Pediatric Specialty Clinic. If you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social media and thanks again for listening to UK HealthCast, presented by UK Healthcare hoping your health is good health. I'm Joey Wahler.
Joey Wahler (Host): The National Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress just celebrated its 20th anniversary, so we're discussing their great work and the importance of trauma informed pediatric care. This is UK HealthCast, presented by UK Healthcare.. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler, our guest, Dr. Megan Marsach, a pediatric psychologist at Kentucky Children's Hospital and Associate director of the National Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress. Dr. Marsac, thanks for joining us.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you for having me. I'm happy to be here.
Joey Wahler (Host): Happy to have you. So first off, when we say trauma informed pediatric care, in a nutshell, for the uninitiated, what exactly do we mean?
Dr Meghan Marsac: When we think about trauma-informed, care for our kids, we're thinking about. What they're coming into medical institutions with. So the things that happen to kids before they come into the doctor's office before they come into the hospital. Those could be things like abuse, neglect, car accidents, that sort of thing. In addition, we think about what happens in the medical setting that can be really scary or potentially traumatic for kids. So thinking about how do we work as a medical school team to identify when these challenges are there for kids and families and what can we do to prevent or address trauma when it does happen?
Joey Wahler (Host): Gotcha. So before we go any further, congratulations on your 20th anniversary.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you. We've had some great accomplishments over the last few years.
Joey Wahler (Host): Sounds like. And so what was the general thinking behind the development of the National Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress?
Dr Meghan Marsac: the primary goal of the center is to take evidence-based resources and what we know from science and translate them into materials that, healthcare teams can use in their daily practice with kids and families. So introducing strategies that we know help kids and families when they're going through medical treat. And have healthcare providers use those regularly, routinely in their care of their families. We also create resources for kids and families themselves with like tip sheets and workbooks and things of that nature to try to help empower parents and kids to navigate the healthcare experience.
Joey Wahler (Host): So what would be just a few examples of conditions or scenarios that kids and their families face that you deal with the most?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So I think things all the way from some of the. Things that seem really simple like vaccinations. We know for some kids those are really, really scary and create worries weeks ahead of the time when they're getting a vaccination. For some of our families, they might more be like chronic conditions like cancer, or they might have had an accident, like a motor vehicle accident or an accident in a sport that's landing him in the hospital and having lots of complex medical needs.
Joey Wahler (Host): Interesting. You mentioned vaccinations because certainly we've heard tons about that over the last few years, obviously, and we don't hear so much about. Its impact on kids, particularly from a psychological or a mental standpoint. So it sounds like that's a big part of what you do, or at least somewhat, right?
Dr Meghan Marsac: Yeah, so we know that needle fears is huge for kids. I would say even in the clinical care that I provide. For kids with chronic conditions, we have a lot of consults to help kids deal with needle sticks and needle fairs. One of the things that UK did really beautifully when they created a recent vaccine clinic when they were rolling out the Covid vaccine Clinic was created in a way that they engaged the kids in the process and created a treasure map and created reward systems for kids as they got their vaccinations and they used different, Freeze sprays and numbing sprays to make the experience from the beginning better for our kids and decrease fears and decrease the risk of those emotional reaction.
Joey Wahler (Host): That sounds great. So what types of services are provided by the center?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So the Center does offer trainings for medical teams across the nation. So we've trained thousands of medical providers across the nation and how to integrate trauma-informed medical practice into their daily care. We provide free online continuing education courses, for nurses and some other healthcare professionals that they can go on and access through healthcaretoolbox.org and get continuing education about medical trauma and what they can do in their positions as well. And we also provide downloadable, handouts both in English and Spanish for kids and families that can go and do a workbook about things such as like how to cope with a hospitalization or what to do with a new diagnosis and things like that.
Joey Wahler (Host): How long have you, yourself, been involved in this type of work?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I first joined the center, when I was finishing my own training back in 2009, I started specializing in pediatric psychology, goodness, I think in my graduate school years, which dates me a little bit there, back in 2006 ish, around then, so nearly 20 years for me as well.
Joey Wahler (Host): Well, congratulations on that too then. And the reason I asked for one thing is I'm just wondering, generally speaking, do you find the issues that kids have nowadays that require this type of treatment? Has it changed at all over the years?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I think one of the biggest things that's changed, is our ability to recognize the emotional health aspect of physical care. One thing that's shifted in our medical community over time is we're much more, able with all these amazing scientific discoveries to provide awesome lifesaving interventions for kids that we didn't use to be able to provide. So as we have more and more kids surviving and thriving physically from some of these disorders, it really highlights though the toll that some of these really intense treatments take on kids and families. And so we are starting to recognize the importance of treating the whole child and the whole family and thinking about emotional health along with physical health over time.
Joey Wahler (Host): Interesting. So what type of training for your team members does that typically require?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So this at the center, we are a multidisciplinary team. We have physicians, emergency room physicians, pediatricians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, of various different. Backgrounds on our team. And so we really try to think about it from all the healthcare providers perspectives. The other thing that we have on our team is, family representatives. So we have teams of parents who have had kids that have a lot of interaction with the healthcare system that give us feedback on things that we're creating to make sure that we're meeting the needs of families too.
So our training ranges graduate degrees to undergraduate degrees, to having lived experience, and trying to figure out bringing that all together to create the best resources that we can for kids and families.
Joey Wahler (Host): And certainly I would imagine that those involved in this type of work need both compassion and a great passion for it. Right?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I think that the center runs on passion more than anything else, for sure. And I think having the family representatives certainly can help us zone in on the areas where maybe more compassion is needed and where we need to think about not just getting used to medical treatments as medical teams, but thinking about what's this family's unique experience and how do we support them in their unique experience and their unique journey. And we are a team full of passionate people for sure, in our mission to make medical care better for kids and families.
Joey Wahler (Host): And so Doctor, what would you say are some of the typical signs a parent might see that their child needs this type of intervention?
Dr Meghan Marsac: So we always say if you have any concerns or worries about your child's emotional health to check with your pediatrician and start there. Things to look out for, just for general changes and emotions. Kids eating changes, sometimes kids sleeping changes. So, for some of our kids, they'll start thinking about their medical care or thinking about their accident or their trauma all the time. For other kids, they'll refuse to talk about it and not wanna acknowledge it. Might wanna avoid their medications. Some of our other kids, we see huge shifts in mood or they get really jumpy or, have a hard time sleeping or settling at night. So anytime you see any of those sorts of symptoms, it's a great idea to follow up with it, with your child's doctor.
Joey Wahler (Host): And finally, what general advice would you give for parents of children that may need this type of care? You just mentioned some of the signs to look for, but what would your overall message to those parents be?
Dr Meghan Marsac: I think when we think about parenting, , you are your child's champion and there's help out there as well. So if you're feeling overwhelmed with your child's emotions or behaviors or medical treatment, there's help for you as well out there too. So thinking about both your child's, symptoms and needs and advocating and asking and continuing to ask questions if you're not getting the answers that you feel are supporting your child in the way that they need to be supported. And also keeping in mind your own health and making sure that you're getting support that you need to as a.
Joey Wahler (Host): You are your child's champion. Well put, doctor.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you, that's a for real one for sure.
Joey Wahler (Host): And before we let you go, congratulations again on both your personal and your team's 20th anniversary and continued success and keep up the great work.
Dr Meghan Marsac: Thank you so much for having me today.
Joey Wahler (Host): Thanks for being here. And folks we trust your now more familiar with Trauma informed Pediatric Care, Dr. Meghan Marsac with us here today. And a reminder that if you need more information, you can call 859-323-6211. Again, that's 859-323-6211. That's the Kentucky Children's Hospital Pediatric Specialty Clinic. If you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social media and thanks again for listening to UK HealthCast, presented by UK Healthcare hoping your health is good health. I'm Joey Wahler.