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About
The Life After Trauma Organization (LATO)’s mission is to foster empathetic and effective approaches to help children, adolescents and adults to prevent and recover from the full spectrum of trauma in today’s world.
Since LATO was founded in 2014, the mission has focused on creating innovative programs to help children and adults achieve the most desirable and achievable outcomes on their journey toward recovery from trauma.
To realize our mission and achieve our vision LATO’s long-range goals are to:
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develop trauma focused programs to intervene in child traumatic stress disorders.
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create programs to promote recovery from the immediate and long-terms effects
of gun violence trauma.
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provide services and programs to help promote healing for individuals who are
affected by trauma.
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organize and convene forums that will promote and publicize issues concerning
commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Philadelphia, the United
States and elsewhere
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train health professionals and others in trauma focused care.
To achieve our mission and goals, LATO is dedicated to education, training and research.
LATO's current initiatives include outreach, conversation, and education through local online resources and programming to help Philadelphia communities deal with the soaring rates of gun violence and the trauma that follows in its wake. The devastation gun violence is causing in some areas of Philadelphia is exhausting the spirit of community workers who need training in how to deal with their own trauma, as well as that of the people they are trying to help. We are acting as resource to community workers, community members and youth-led organizations to help them cope with and help each other manage the traumatic effects of gun violence within their communities. Additionally, LATO is exploring partnerships with agencies dealing with trauma in order to participate in building a network of support for the areas of Philadelphia hit hardest by gun violence. LATO is also proving COVID related trauma services and trauma stress relief to the teachers, staff, and students of a neighboring school district.
Clara Whaley Perkins, PhD.,Chair is a practicing psychologist and a trauma specialist, who has helped young people and adults affected by trauma for 30 years. She received her PhD. from Temple University and her training and experience at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. Dr. Whaley Perkins served as a trauma consultant and specialist for the City of Philadelphia, Employee Medical Services, for 20 years. She has treated war veterans, and provided consultation to a non-profit organization working with boy soldiers and supporting traumatized civilians in Liberia, West Africa. Her services have been utilized by medical practitioners, businesses and colleges. Her protocols have been effective in helping young people and adults to work through the effects of trauma and restore normalcy to their lives.