Trauma-Informed Telehealth with Adolescents

Description

Adolescents navigating trauma often carry invisible burdens that manifest in unique ways—through irritability, withdrawal, chronic somatic complaints, or a defiant silence that masks fear and pain. In virtual sessions, these signals are even easier to miss, complicated by blank screens, poor engagement, or flat affect that clinicians may misinterpret as resistance. Without a trauma-informed lens tailored to telehealth, critical opportunities for safety, trust, and transformation may go unrealized.

This course invites you to reimagine trauma work with adolescents through a culturally responsive and clinically grounded lens—equipping you with evidence-based tools for telehealth that honor the complexity of your clients' lives.

Dr. Ritchie Rubio, Ph.D., is a seasoned clinical psychologist and telehealth expert whose career spans continents, cultures, and care systems. With decades of experience supporting immigrant and multicultural youth and families, Dr. Rubio brings a nuanced understanding of trauma, identity, and systemic inequity into clinical practice. His teaching integrates research, direct service, and expressive modalities with cultural humility.

Dr. Rubio's instructional style is collaborative, strengths-based, and deeply rooted in real-world application. He combines storytelling, case illustrations, and practical frameworks to ensure learners walk away with usable strategies and renewed confidence in their clinical role.

You’ll explore topics such as adolescent trauma presentations, trauma-informed assessment and treatment via telehealth, vicarious and racial trauma, cultural adaptations of evidence-based interventions (like TF-CBT and sandtray therapy), and how to build rapport using expressive arts, mindfulness, and pop culture. The course also addresses inequities in digital access and provides tools for making telehealth services more inclusive and effective for BIPOC youth.

Key Takeaways:

• Telehealth trauma-care strategies: Learn how to identify and respond to trauma symptoms in adolescents during virtual sessions.

• Culturally adapted interventions: Understand how to integrate cultural wisdom and systemic awareness into trauma-focused telehealth treatment.

• Real-world application: Gain practical techniques for enhancing engagement and therapeutic outcomes with adolescents in diverse communities.

Why this course?

• Clinician-centered solutions: Designed specifically to address the everyday challenges behavioral health professionals face in virtual adolescent care.

• Expert-led insights: Learn from a global trauma expert who blends rigorous academic training with decades of direct clinical experience.

• Mission-driven quality: Offered by Telehealth Certification Institute, an organization committed to excellence, equity, and empowering clinicians with practical tools that make a difference.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and describe at least two clinical considerations when using telehealth for working with adolescent clients exposed to trauma and/or experiencing ongoing trauma.

• Appraise the applicability of at least two core elements of trauma-focused interventions in engaging adolescent clients in telehealth.

• Illustrate at least two ways of addressing telehealth inequities and culturally-adapting trauma-focused interventions when working with BIPOC adolescent clients.

This course is more than a CE opportunity—it’s a resource for building trust, resilience, and healing with the adolescents you serve. Join us in making telehealth trauma-informed, culturally attuned, and developmentally appropriate.

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Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course that consists of over 3 hours of video instruction, a post-test, and an evaluation.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Ritchie Rubio, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Rubio has worked as a clinical child psychologist, play and expressive arts therapist, researcher-storyteller, program evaluator, statistical consultant, data analyst, telehealth trainer/consultant, and associate professor/lecturer in a variety of clinical and academic settings including public health systems, universities, pediatric hospitals, community mental health settings, schools, and research institutes in three countries: the Philippines, U.S.A., and New Zealand. He immigrated to the US from the Philippines at the age of 25, and completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Child and Family emphasis from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) through a Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program (IFP) grant. He is currently the Director of Practice Improvement and Analytics of the Children, Youth, and Families System of Care at the San Francisco Department of Public Health in California, USA. In that role, he plans and coordinates a clinical practice improvement and evaluation program focused on identifying best trauma-informed and diversity-responsive practices; and utilizing implementation science to design and strengthen clinical assessment and interventions. His clinical work was/is primarily with immigrant and multicultural children/youth and their families. He mostly integrates psychodynamic, attachment, family systems, multicultural, expressive arts, play therapy, and CBT orientations. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Counseling Psychology programs of the University of San Francisco, Pepperdine University, and the Wright Institute. He teaches courses such as Research and Statistics; Crisis and Trauma Counseling; Neuroscience; Child and Adolescent Counseling; Family Violence and Protection; Individual, and Family Development; and Clinical Assessment and Measures.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 3 continuing education hours of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 180 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement