A community participatory research partnership: the development of a faith-based intervention for children exposed to...

When an inner city Latino immigrant faith community in Los Angeles identified mental health care as an area of need, a community-research partnership was formed that resulted in the adaptation of an intervention for children who have trauma-related symptoms from violence exposure. This participatory research partnership includes St. Thomas the Apostle School and Church community; QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership, an organization that provides health services and outreach to faith communities; and mental health researchers from UCLA. During the planning phase of this project, parent focus groups were conducted, and an evidence-based intervention for traumatized students was adapted for this community. Focus group participants described significant concerns about community violence and multiple ways in which this ongoing violence has affected their children's functioning and child-parent relationships. The partnership has collaborated on each aspect of the research study, from design and adaptation, implementation, data analyses, and identification of areas for future research. This paper, a participatory process written in the words of the community and research partners, describes the experience of and challenges met by this partnership in adapting the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools program for use in this Catholic school.