CVCA Resources
Support Starts Here
Find trusted tools, training guides, and trauma-informed resources for professionals supporting child victims across California. The Coalition for the Victims of Child Abuse has curated a comprehensive list of evidence-based programs, treatment frameworks, legal resources, and community support options—from TF-CBT to co-occurring disorder toolkits, play therapy guidance, and LGBTQ+ youth support.
Whether you’re a clinician, case manager, advocate, or caregiver, these resources are here to help you serve children and families with compassion, skill, and care.
Trauma-Focused Care
Trauma Informed California
Provides research-based policies and practices to promote trauma-informed care across the state.
SAMHSA’s Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services
Quick Guide for Clinicians (Based on TIP 57) – A practical downloadable guide (PDF) for behavioral-health professionals and administrators. Covers how to create trauma-informed services, principles of trauma-informed care, and intervention strategies. Good for agency or program-level application.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
The official page describing TF-CBT, with a fact sheet summarizing core components, target populations, and evidence base. Useful for clinicians interested in trauma-specific CBT for children/youth (but many principles apply broadly).
TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
“TF-CBT: A Primer for Child Welfare Professionals”
A fact-sheet / primer oriented toward child welfare professionals, helpful for understanding when and how TF-CBT is indicated and what to expect.
TF-CBT Implementation Manuals for Specialized Populations
Youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD), Youth who identify as LGBTQ+, Youth who experienced commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC), Youth in foster care, residential treatment (RTF), or other nonstandard caregiving settings.
Sexual Exploitation
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
“Child Sexual Exploitation Resource Toolkit”
Offers research summaries, protocols, fact-sheets, and materials aimed at agencies/teams serving child sexual exploitation victims.
IOFA (International Organization for Adolescents)
Three-Level Youth Sex Trafficking Screening Toolkit + Fact-Sheet Packets – Screening tools, fact-sheets, red-flag lists, and practice guidance for identifying and responding to youth sex trafficking / CSEC
TF‑CBT for CSEC Implementation Manual
A specialized implementation manual for applying Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) specifically with children/youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation.
Bullying Prevention
California Department of Education
Bullying Prevention Resources
Provides training materials, publications, and resources for educators, parents, and community members to recognize and respond to bullying behavior.
National Center for School Safety
“Key Considerations for Bullying Prevention” Guide
A downloadable guide (PDF) that helps schools or youth-serving organizations design, implement, or maintain bullying prevention programs; includes context-specific considerations (social media, youth engagement, school climate).
Children's Safety Network
“Bullying Prevention: 2020 Resource Guide”
A public-health–oriented guide describing bullying as a serious risk to youth mental health and well-being. Includes data, research summaries, and links to programs / campaigns / policies relevant to prevention.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
The EMDR Center of Southern California
Offers EMDR basic training programs tailored for professionals, with optional APA Continuing Education credits.
California Mental Health – EMDR Therapy
Provides structured, evidence-based EMDR therapy to address trauma and related symptoms.
EMDR for Kids
Free resources, worksheets, child-friendly materials, “8 Phases of EMDR (Child-Friendly Version)” handout – Offers free downloadable worksheets, activity sheets, handouts that adapt EMDR components for children.
Co-Occurring Disorders
Youth.gov — Co‑Occurring Disorders Page
A youth‑focused page summarizing research about prevalence of co‑occurring mental‑health and substance use disorders in adolescents, risk factors, and implications.
SAMHSA
“Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) KIT”
A comprehensive toolkit for integrated treatment of mental illness and substance use disorders. Includes PDF guides — “How to Use the EBP Kit,” “Getting Started with EBPs,” “Building Your Program,” etc.
The Council on Recovery
Co‑Occurring Disorders Educational Series
Provides webinars / education‑series for medical and behavioral‑health professionals on co‑occurring disorders, including youth-specific content, treatment integration, and emerging topics (e.g. co‑occurring disorders + vaping).
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW)
“Child Welfare Training Toolkit”
A multi-module training toolkit (10 modules) addressing substance use, trauma, co-occurring mental-health disorders among families and youth involved in child-welfare. Includes modules on understanding co-occurring disorders, trauma & domestic violence, intervention, case-management.
Play Therapy
Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training — Free Resources Page
Offers a set of free downloadable resources aimed at therapists and clinicians working with children/adolescents/families — including guidance on working with parents, setting up sand‑tray therapy, mindfulness-based play therapy interventions, and recommended therapeutic toys / minis.
Synergetic Play Therapy Institute — Resources / Handouts / E‑Books
Has a variety of free resources: e‑books, handouts, infographics (on regulation / dysregulation, nervous system, developmental tasks), as well as videos.
Child Therapy Guide — Play Therapy Tools & Materials Overview
A practical resource describing toys, materials, and play / expressive‑arts modalities commonly used in play therapy (sand‑tray, figures, sensory toys, blocks, art supplies, role‑play tools, etc.). Helpful to design or stock a therapeutic playroom or for session‑planning ideas.
Advocacy & Legal Support
Children’s Advocacy Centers of California (CACC)
Provides trainings, peer review, and support for multidisciplinary teams responding to child abuse.
California Department of Social Services
CPS / Child Welfare Services.
Judicial Branch of California
“Find Your Self-Help Center”
LGBTQ+
The Trevor Project
Resources & Support for LGBTQ Youth
Provides a comprehensive “Resources” section: crisis support, self‑care guides, coming‑out guidance, mental‑health resources tailored to LGBTQ youth. Good for referrals, psychoeducation, and youth‑friendly support tools.
LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
Youth & Provider Toolkit for Affirming Care
Offers a “youth” toolkit for providers / health‑care staff working with transgender/gender diverse (TGD) and LGBTQIA+ children/adolescents: suggests best practices, resources, guidance on gender‑affirming care and inclusive mental‑health care.
Brave Trails
Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth (mental‑health, peer support, referrals, state‑specific resource guides) – Offers a curated resource list for LGBTQ youth: crisis hotlines, peer support, mental‑health referrals (low-cost or sliding scale), and state‑specific resources (including California) — useful if you work locally or want to share referral info.
LGBTQ+ Immigrants: Know Your Rights
The San Diego LGBT Community Center offers essential resources to help LGBTQ+ immigrants understand their rights and access vital services, including mental health support, housing, legal referrals, and sexual health care. Their guidance helps navigate challenges related to immigration enforcement while ensuring safety and well-being.
LGBTQ+ Health & Rights
Advocates for Youth works to protect LGBTQ+ youth through inclusive healthcare, safe schools, and nondiscrimination policies. They provide tools and resources to help organizations create supportive environments for LGBTQ+ youth.
Immigration Resources
CLASP
Immigrant Mental Health Resources
A curated collection of fact‑sheets, reports, toolkits, and trainings focused on immigrant mental health in the U.S. This includes tools for trauma‑informed care, resources for service providers, and guidance on structural barriers immigrants face.
Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (CICW)
A Social Worker’s Tool Kit for Working With Immigrant Families
This toolkit is designed for child‑welfare and community‑based agencies — with practice guidance covering trauma-informed care for immigrant children/families, from intake to case closure.
Community Justice Alliance (California)
“Resources: A Toolkit for Unaccompanied Youth”
A toolkit aimed specifically at unaccompanied youth (immigrant/refugee minors who arrive without parents), helping connect them to school enrollment, health care, mental-health support, legal services, and other critical resources.
National Mentoring Resource Center / BRYCS
“Growing Up in a New Country: A Positive Youth Development Toolkit for Working with Refugees and Immigrants”
A toolkit for programs serving immigrant/refugee youth that’s grounded in positive youth development (rather than only risk‑prevention). It helps service providers build mentoring, support, community, and development‑oriented programs for newcomer youth.
General Resources
United Ways of California
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