For children and teachers reeling from the agonizing aftermath of the 2021 Oxford school shooting, the shock and grief probably seemed inextricable. The school community was being victimized by violence. Our valued students and teachers were left with a gaping hole by excruciating absences. Then someone came to help me.
James Henry, identifiable by his white beard and colorful glasses, is brought in to lead the trauma response to the shooting. He advised the school to dismantle the monument erected by the students. He led a webinar for 500 parents. Parents logged on earnestly to learn how to support their children through the pain, depression, and anxiety they experienced.
Seven months ago, Henry had been sanctioned, reprimanded and fined by the state of Michigan for practicing social work without a license and committing negligence.
Oxford Community School did not respond to questions about whether it had confirmed Henry’s eligibility. But what they found may not have mattered.
Even Michigan kept Henry on contract for two years after taking disciplinary action against him. In May, the Department of Health and Human Services quietly terminated a contract with the Child Trauma Assessment Center, where Henry was director.
Although Henry did not want to be interviewed, several colleagues defended him, arguing that his work and influence outweigh any ethical error.
“I don’t mean to take licensing lightly, but ultimately it’s a box that needs to be checked,” said Christine Putney, a licensed master social worker who has known and worked with Henry for more than 20 years. “No one in Michigan has championed the system of trauma-based care, child assessment, and understanding of needs more than Jim Henry. No one.”
“He was a rare exception”
In its termination notice, DHHS said its contract with the center, which provided trauma assessment services to children in 26 counties in Michigan, resulted in “insufficient qualifications, non-compliance with assessment procedures, services and best practices.” was terminated for “unauthorized endorsement of the interests of”.
Henry’s operated without a license for many years. But Putney points out that Henry didn’t need a license for a long time to do the work he did, and he had a doctorate in social work. He obtained his license in March 2020 before receiving disciplinary action from the state.
DHHS did not elaborate on the circumstances of the termination, but state regulators charged with occupational violations did not list any additional violations. The children who were supposed to be sent to Henry and his team are now sent to various centers, mainly Easter Shields.
Easter Seals vice president of public affairs Lindsay Calcatela said the organization was not told why Henry’s CTAC was dropped from the options, but said it’s fine to regain some leeway.
“We have certainly been able to continue to meet needs, as we have in the past,” she said.
But others lament the loss of what was considered the gold standard for trauma assessment for children in Michigan.
Henry said he was “one of the most knowledgeable experts on trauma in the country and has dedicated his life and career to serving children and families.” Vivek Sankaranis a professor of law at the University of Michigan and director of the Child Advocacy Law Clinic and the Child Welfare Appeals Clinic. “He’s been a real asset to our foster care system, a system we have a hard time getting quality service providers to do. And he was the rare exception.”
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Henry rated the center’s most troubled children
According to Henry’s biography (now deleted) on the CTAC website, he spent 17 years as a child welfare and protective services employee and 15 years as a professor at Western Michigan University. The center he co-founded has attracted more than $10 million in federal grants, Henley has spoken nationally and internationally, published books, and raised more than 50,000 people on trauma-based practices and child abuse. Trained professionals, caregivers and community members.
Henry helped change how the child welfare system engages with children, says his CTAC co-founder and former occupational therapist Ben Acheson. “It was really about developing a holistic approach that looked at children through different lenses in different fields,” he said.
“He’s a transformative, that’s how I describe him,” Putney said. “A lot of times it’s going to be like, ‘This is Jim’s kid,’ because you’re misunderstood, you’re abused, you’re traumatized by a broken system, and you don’t trust anyone. If you have a child who has suffered all his life, Jim can sit.” Talking eye-to-eye with them gave me a level of safety, respect and compassion that many of them have never experienced before. can produce “
Sankaran said the assessment provided by CTAC was very detailed and made to very high standards. “I’ve never seen anything like that in his work in Michigan,” he said. “It’s really disappointing as this is not a department that currently provides quality services to families. haven’t heard yet.”
More than paperwork issues
Those blaming the state’s decision to terminate its contract with the Child Trauma Assessment Center do not understand why one man’s administrative error leads to the withdrawal of an entire team and the entire center.
“From the state’s point of view, a license is absolutely necessary, and some would say that not having one is seemingly negligent,” Acheson said. “But knowing Jim, his focus is on what the kids need … someone challenges him and says, ‘You have to have this.’ Until then, I think it’s probably just an inaction that he didn’t give much thought to.”
But not everyone agrees that Henry’s fault was simply that he was too devoted to his children to bother with paperwork.
Six psychologists who attended training he provided in seven Colorado counties in 2016 accused the state of professional regulators of substandard practice and outside his area of expertise. submitted a complaint.
“Many aspects of this training raised concerns about the ethical violations committed by the two trainers,” they wrote in the complaint. In addition to Henry being unlicensed in both Colorado and Michigan, they violated the norms of informed consent and patient confidentiality, and based their findings on a simple test that contradicted an earlier, more thorough test. He concluded that the children’s intellectual functioning was not followed by standardization of the tests. Conducting many psychological tests.
They cautioned against what they saw as an imperfect psychosocial assessment and a subjective, driven approach to interviewing. And I was deeply concerned that these short visits were used to make unsubstantiated recommendations about where the children should be placed.
“Dr. Henry continues to train in this non-traditional method throughout Michigan and Colorado with no evidence that it works,” they wrote. “Dr. Henry should not supervise a licensed psychologist or licensed social worker on how to administer a psychological examination if he cannot demonstrate his competence in this area.”
Henry received Cessation and Cessation Letters Awarded by the Colorado Board of Registered Psychotherapists in 2017.
No license required, judge decides
Henry’s credentials were also questioned at Michigan’s highest levels.
After Henry gave expert testimony at a Child Protective Services hearing in 2018 that led to the loss of custody, the losing parents appealed, claiming that Henry was unlicensed and could not be considered an expert.
Attorney Michael Cafferty, who heard the case on behalf of the children’s parents, said Henry made everyone believe he was a doctor. Cafferty said he was shocked when he looked into Henry’s background and found out he didn’t have a medical license.
Expert testimony doesn’t necessarily require a license, but he says he’s never seen one in his 30-plus years of practice. “This guy is basically making life-or-death decisions for his children,” Cafferty said. “The damage can be very real.”
of Judgment of the Michigan Court of Appeals In fact, a license was never a prerequisite for being considered an expert. “He was appalled when he ran away,” Cafferty said. “I’m glad he lost his contract. He shouldn’t have had that in the first place.”
What does the future hold for CTAC?
The Child Trauma Assessment Center did not respond to a request for an interview. It’s not clear what the center’s future course will be or whether it will attempt to renegotiate state contracts that don’t include Henry.
Putney was told that DHHS agreed to work with the center if Henry did not personally provide the assessment, but then backed off. She doesn’t understand why. She, again, is not an incumbent, so she doesn’t know about such conversations.
Putney hasn’t worked at CTAC for the past three years, but Henry provided staff with a center as the Earth’s metallic core was pulled inward as it rotated in the darkness of space. I remember
“He’s always willing to show up and show us how to do it,” she said. “Teaching the rest of us how to break hearts and hold each other through the pain, and how to love our children and continue to love our jobs…
“This is a sacred journey,” Putney said. “And he has guided many over the years.”
Jennifer Brookland partners with Report for America to cover child welfare for the Detroit Free Press. Please contact [email protected].
