National Center For Child Traumatic Stress

What National Center For Child Traumatic Stress does

The National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCTSN) is a federally-funded non-profit network established by Congress in 2000 through the Children's Health Act and administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the Donald J. Cohen National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative. The organization is jointly coordinated by UCLA and Duke University through the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS) and operates as a collaborative network of 190+ member organizations across all 50 states, providing trauma-informed care resources, evidence-based treatment protocols, and workforce training to child-serving professionals, families, caregivers, and youth.

NCTSN's core platform is the free online Learning Center (learn.nctsn.org), a Moodle-based learning management system offering 300+ continuing education certificates, 200+ webinars, 50+ expert speakers, and a 90,000+ member community. Core products include validated evidence-based treatments such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI), Alternatives for Families Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), and Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma for Adolescents (ITCT-A), along with disaster response tools (Psychological First Aid Online and Skills for Psychological Recovery Online co-developed with the National Center for PTSD), the Trauma-Informed Organizational Assessment (TIOA), the CANS-Trauma assessment instrument, and specialized toolkits for child welfare, juvenile justice, schools, and early childhood populations. All resources, courses, and CE credits are provided at no cost to users.

NCTSN's revenue model is entirely grant-funded through SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services as a congressional initiative, with no commercial revenue streams, no pricing tiers, and no enterprise contracts. Distribution is exclusively self-serve through the online platform and direct website downloads, supplemented by 190+ network member sites delivering localized services. Marketing is conducted via content marketing, email newsletters, Facebook, Instagram, and public awareness campaigns. The organization is accredited by the American Psychological Association (Provider #1829), NBCC (Provider #7218), and NASW for continuing education.

Name

National Center For Child Traumatic Stress

Legal name

National Center for Child Traumatic Stress

Website

https://nctsn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The National Center for Child Traumatic Stress is a federally-funded non-profit network, established by Congress in 2000 and administered by SAMHSA, that provides free trauma-informed treatment protocols, assessments, and continuing education training to child-serving professionals, families, and caregivers across all 50 states via a 190+ member network coordinated by UCLA and Duke University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Trauma Mental Health Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Trauma-Informed Care & Crisis Response (School-Based) (EDAKAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Development, Behavior Guidance & Trauma-Informed Practice Training (EDACAIAG), Trauma-Informed & Resilience-Building Programs (Early Childhood) (EDACAOAD)

Keywords

• Trauma-informed care
• Child mental health
• Evidence-based interventions
• Continuing education
• Trauma assessment tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The NCTSN is funded by the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Donald J. Cohen National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative. This is a congressional initiative established by the Children Health Act of 2000.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS) coordinates the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), developing and disseminating evidence-based treatment protocols, screening and assessment tools, trauma-informed organizational assessments, and free continuing-education training for professionals serving traumatized children. Its core offering is the NCTSN Learning Center, a free online education platform delivering 300+ CE certificates, 200+ webinars, and 50+ speakers to 90,000+ members, supported by 190+ network member sites providing localized trauma services across all 50 states.

Product overview

The National Center For Child Traumatic Stress (NCTSN) operates a network of child-serving professionals, caregivers, young adults, researchers, and national partners committed to improving care for traumatized children. The organization provides a unified platform of educational resources and training programs centered around its Learning Center, which offers free continuing education through webinars, e-learning courses, and training curricula. The core offerings include evidence-based trauma interventions such as Psychological First Aid (PFA), Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and the Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT). Additional specialized products include the Trauma-Informed Organizational Assessment (TIOA), Resource Parent Curriculum (RPC), IDD Toolkit, CANS-Trauma assessment tool, and various training toolkits for child welfare, juvenile justice, schools, and healthcare systems. The NCTSN Resources Library provides comprehensive materials across multiple trauma types, audiences, and languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma: NCTSN's online education platform offering free continuing education credits, e-learning courses, webinars, and training resources for professionals working with traumatized children

Products and services

• NCTSN Learning Center A free online education platform offering continuing education certificates, webinars, e-learning courses, and training resources for mental health professionals, educators, and caregivers working with traumatized children and families.
• Psychological First Aid (PFA) Online A 5-hour interactive evidence-based course for individuals and providers to learn the core actions of Psychological First Aid and apply them in post-disaster scenarios with children, adolescents, adults, and families.
• Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) Online A 5-hour interactive skills-based intervention course designed for providers to help survivors gain skills to manage distress and cope with post-disaster stress and adversity.
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) An evidence-based treatment designed to address youth (ages 3-18 years) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related difficulties following traumatic events.
• Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI)
• Alternatives for Families - A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT)
• Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma for Adolescents (ITCT-A)
• Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT)
• NCTSN Trauma-Informed Organizational Assessment (TIOA)
• CANS-Trauma Comprehensive
• Resource Parent Curriculum (RPC)
• Trauma and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Toolkit
• Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit (CWTTT)
• Think Trauma: Training for Working with Justice Involved Youth
• Attachment Vitamins
• Trauma Training for Early Childhood (TTEC)
• NCTSN Resources Library

Quantifiable outcome

• Network reaches all 50 states with trauma services and resources
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCLAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000UCLA, jointly with Duke University, coordinates the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS), which coordinates the NCTSN. UCLA provides academic expertise and research capabilities to advance child trauma treatment standards.
• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Duke University, jointly with UCLA, coordinates the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS), which coordinates the NCTSN. Duke provides academic expertise and clinical research to support network activities.
• National Center for PTSDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) with the NCTSN. These are evidence-based interventions for disaster behavioral health response.
• Jewish Board for Children and Family Services - Center for Trauma Program InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped the My Identity, My SELF curriculum for LGBTQ youth in residential treatment, which is offered as an NCTSN resource.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Center for PTSD: Co-developer with NCTSN of Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR). Operates a parallel federal research and training center focused on trauma, with overlapping audiences in veterans, disaster responders, and clinicians.
• Zero to Three: National nonprofit focused on early childhood development, including early childhood trauma and infant mental health. Comparable as a federally-adjacent provider of training, resources, and clinical practice guidance for professionals serving young children and families.

Broad incumbents

• American Psychological Association (APA): Professional association that approves continuing education for psychologists — a role NCTSN also serves. Comparable in setting professional standards and providing CE resources across the broader mental health workforce.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): The federal agency that administers and funds NCTSN, and that operates a much broader portfolio of mental health and substance use training, resources, and grant programs across the U.S. — overlapping strongly with NCTSN on workforce capacity building.
• National Council for Mental Wellbeing: Membership and advocacy organization for mental health and substance use treatment providers. Comparable in delivering training, certification, and best-practice resources to a national network of mental health professionals across systems.
• Mental Health America (MHA): Long-standing community-based nonprofit addressing the full spectrum of mental health conditions, including trauma. Comparable in providing free screening tools, public education, and professional resources, but with a broader mental-health (vs. child-trauma-specific) remit.
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Professional association for pediatricians that develops clinical guidance, training, and resources — including on childhood trauma and toxic stress. Comparable as a national authority producing evidence-based guidance for professionals serving children.

Emerging players

• Sesame Workshop: Nonprofit producing trauma-informed educational resources for children and families, including initiatives addressing community violence and family homelessness. Comparable in delivering free trauma-related content, but focused on direct-to-family media rather than professional training.
• Child Trends: Nonprofit research organization producing evidence-based insights on child well-being, including trauma and adversity. Comparable as a research-driven resource provider serving child welfare, education, and policy audiences.

Regional players

• Justice Resource Institute (JRI): Nonprofit providing trauma-focused mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice services primarily in the Northeast U.S. Comparable as a trauma-informed service and training provider with overlap in TF-CBT and CFTSI delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nctsn
• Instagraminstagram.com/nctsn

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Center For Child Traumatic Stress