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According to a 2021 report by the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, there are more than 161,000 people living with at least one developmental disability in the Commonwealth. The Special Olympics estimates 1-3% of the global population lives with an intellectual disability. In Massachusetts, that would mean people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) make up at least 500,000 members of the population. Tragically, abuse rates are high for this vulnerable community.

鈥淎ccording to research, people with I/DD are seven times more likely to be sexually assaulted than those without disabilities and, if left without treatment, are less likely to recover spontaneously from trauma,鈥� says Nancy Alterio, executive director of the (DPPC).

Adds Heather Byrns, co-director of William James鈥� , 鈥淩esearch says that 90% of this population will have at least one incident of sexually based trauma and nearly half of people will have 10 incidents or more. But just one can result in PTSD.鈥�

Until recently, people with I/DD weren鈥檛 a core focus of mental health therapy, with misunderstandings about their ability to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or other types of trauma. Says Byrns, 鈥淩esearch bears the fact that they absolutely do, but a lot of times they may not have the same tools to express it. There are treatment methodologies that are considered best practice, but a lot of people aren鈥檛 familiar with how to adapt those to work with this population.鈥�

INTERFACE serves as the bridge between people with I/DD who have experienced trauma and the professionals who are trained to help this nuanced community. The referral service works to break down the silos between agencies, mental health providers, and systems that can hinder access to care for those with disabilities suffering from abuse and assault.

However, in the wake of unprecedented need and lack of providers, wait times have soared. Within the INTERFACE system of roughly 9,000 patients, only a few hundred clinicians are available to treat patients with I/DD experiencing trauma鈥攆ar from enough to meet such a high demand.

Kelly Casey, managing director of the College鈥檚 Department of Forensic and Clinical Services, was the first to suggest a certificate program to grow the roster of available clinicians. She says, 鈥淭he College not only has the dedication to meet this need鈥攚hich is significant鈥攂ut also this is what William James is about, providing training to clinicians who are treating the community to make a difference. The reputation and the capabilities are there.鈥�

DPPC has stepped in to get more boots on the ground and answers on the helpline. Partnering with DPPC has allowed William James to turn Casey鈥檚 idea into a full-fledged certificate program, one unlike any other in the country. Mental health clinicians, providers, and graduate students can take any one of six courses to gain best practices in a specific area, or complete the full curriculum for certification, which includes all six courses as well as lunch-and-learn sessions with experts in the field and fellow learners.

鈥淭he DPPC was really excited about being able to say, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 a group of clinicians that have done a deep dive in understanding multiple modalities that this population really needs,鈥欌�� says Byrns.

The certificate will cost $180 for six full-day training sessions, as well as six one-hour Professional Learning Community sessions to consult with other clinicians implementing these skills.

鈥淭he DPPC had a need that William James identified and is uniquely positioned to fill it,鈥� says Casey. 鈥淭he reality is this group will continue to be vulnerable, will continue to require specialized services. INTERFACE has never turned anyone away, and thanks to the DPPC we鈥檙e ready to build our capacity.鈥�

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