Culturally Responsive, Evidence-Based Strategies for Traumatic Stress (CRESTS)
Placing Culture at the Center of Trauma-Informed Care
Cirecie A. West-Olatunji, Ph. D.
Founder and CEO
About Us
The CRESTSprogram is an online communiversity offering courses that place culture at the center of knowledge acquisition. We provide space for professionals and parents/caretakers to decolonize their thinking as it relates to their work for and with Black people and other persons of color.
Our training offers short-term workshops as well as full credentialing programs in a variety of disciplines, such as mental health and education. These courses are offered asynchronously so that individuals can enroll and begin learning at any time. Additionally, participants can work at their own pace and when their busy schedules allow.
Our Programs
CRESTS-Achieve is a culture-centered, trauma-informed care credentialing program for educators, mental health professionals, and parents. This training program helps adults who work with Black children to counter race-based trauma and continuous traumatic stress. The goal is to transform children's home and school environments to promote academic excellence and socio-emotional well-being.
CRESTS-Liberate is an Emancipatory Research TM credentialing program for individuals in grassroots, community-based, k-12 education, academic, and practitioner-based settings. Designed to liberate scholars and community members alike from colonized thinking about who research is for and its purpose. Learners acquire concrete decolonized research skills to collect, analyze, and interpret data from a culture-centered perspective.
CRESTS-Pediatrics is a culture-centered credentialing program for individuals who work with young children (0-5 years) who have experienced some form of trauma. This training program has a special focus on race-based trauma, intergenerational trauma, and historical trauma for Black children and other children of color.
CRESTS-Theories is a credentialing program that introduces culture-centered counseling theories for mental health professionals to expand their knowledge of evidence-based practice, particularly when working with clients of African descent and other non-White clients. Learners will acquire knowledge of the diverse African-, Indigenous-, Latino-, and Asian-centered theories, interventions, and assessment tools.
Our logo is inspired by the West African Adinkra symbol, osrane. Literally, this symbol connotes the moon. However, the meaning of osrane is generally, “It takes the moon sometime to go around the nation.” We believe that it will take the sincere effort of committed individuals, coming together to collectively transform the lives of Black children. We must be diligent and deliberate. We must achieve.
Our Logo
