Chris Branson, Ph.D is a licensed psychologist and nationally-recognized expert in trauma-informed practice for the juvenile justice system. Since 2012, he has provided consultation on trauma-informed practice to state and county juvenile justice systems in nine states. Dr. Branson has personally trained over 1,000 professionals in probation, detention/corrections, court, and diversion program settings. He also consults for several national organizations, including the US Department of Justice.

Dr. Branson has 14 years of juvenile justice experience as a therapist, researcher, and consultant. He began his career at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in Harlem, where he provided mental health evaluations and evidence-based treatment to youth and families involved with the juvenile justice system. Alarmed by the high rates of trauma reported by his clients, Dr. Branson shifted his focus to increasing access to effective treatment for youth with traumatic stress. He served as Co-Principal Investigator for a 4-year federally-funded project to implement trauma-informed care in the NYC Department of Probation, Rikers Island, two diversion programs, and a drug treatment court.

In 2014, he joined the faculty of the New York University School of Medicine, where he led the first-ever NIMH-funded study of trauma-informed care in the juvenile justice system. He served as Co-Investigator on a subsequent SAMHSA-funded project to spread trauma-informed care through all of NYC's juvenile detention facilities.

In 2019, Dr. Branson left academia and launched C. Branson Consulting in order to focus on working directly with county and state juvenile justice agencies on implementing trauma-informed practices. His other areas of expertise include work-related traumatic stress in juvenile justice professionals, implementation science, program evaluation, and adolescent substance abuse.

In this episode, we cover why he decided to work with adolescents, why he talks about psychological concepts without using "damn jargon," why he aims to learn as much as he teaches, and so much more. Throughout, he gives "advice they don't tell you" about grad school, mastering public speaking, and finding mentors.

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Music by: Adam Fine