Part 3: Counseling Interventions and Evidence-Based Treatment for BIPOC Children and Youth Who Have Experienced Racial Trauma

Cirecie A. West-Olatunj, PhD currently serves as the CEO of CRESTS program, LLC. Dr. West-Olatunji is the founding director of the Center for Traumatic Stress Research (CTSR). She is also a past president of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Association (AMCD). In addition, she has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development (JMCD). Nationally, Cirecie has initiated several clinical research projects focusing on culture-centered community collaborations designed to address issues rooted in systemic oppression, such as transgenerational trauma and traumatic stress. She has conducted commissioned research under the auspices of the National Science Foundation, ACA Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, federal Witness Assistance Program, Spencer Foundation, the American Educational Research Association, and the African American Success Foundation. Her publications include two co-authored books, numerous book chapters, and over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to national presentations, Cirecie has delivered research papers in Eastern and Western Europe, the Pacific Rim, Africa, and the Americas. Additionally, she provided consultation in a PBS initiative to create a children's television show focusing on diversity through KCET-TV in Los Angeles, CA ("Puzzle Place"). She has also provided consultation to the Center for American Education in Singapore and to the Buraku Liberation Organization in Japan to enhance their early childhood and counseling initiatives. Cirecie has coordinated disaster mental health outreach projects in post-Katrina New Orleans, Southern Africa, and Haiti. Cirecie is also a fellow in the American Counseling Association.