Q: Who can become an Survivor Moms' Companion^® (SMC) Tutor?
A. Professionals and paraprofessionals or even near-peers can become certified and deliver the SMC as a tutor.

Q: What is involved in training to become a tutor?
A. Tutor training is video-facilitated, highly interactive and experiential. We offer a remote, video-facilitated training via 3-hour weekday sessions, once a week, for 4 weeks. There is an Orientation held one to two weeks before and an Implementation meeting held the week after the four weeks of training sessions. There are pre-learnings ahead of each session. The sessions are devoted to hands-on practice of the tutoring tasks. Tutor training can also be held in-person, with the time and place to be determined with the SMC training team.

Q: Is getting training to be a tutor all that is needed to start offering the SMC?
A. There are a few other tasks:

By the end of training, tutors will need to submit their “Training Completion File” which includes: 

• Compiling and submitting a list of local referral resources, because SMC clients may have additional trauma-related needs
• Indicating that they have a source of reflective supervision, should they need it
• Indicating that they have a source of clinical consultation, should they need it
• Indicating that they have a plan for finding suitable clients for the SMC program

Q: What is expected of SMC Tutors?
A. Before starting with the SMC, tutors are expected to commit to providing the SMC in the way that it was designed. For specifics, please see these commitments explained in full here. But in short: tutors work individually with survivor moms who are learning about how past trauma can affect pregnancy and parenting. They will:

1. Develop a supportive relationship with each mom they tutor—which is central to survivors’ healing.
2. Use workbooks, fidelity guides, assessment and charting tools, checklists, and when appropriate, referral resources, to help clients stay on track.
3. Make use of reflective supervision if they have challenging clients or are experiencing vicarious trauma from doing the tutor role.
4. Make use of reflective supervision and refresher training if they are having trouble sticking to the process.

Q: Who are “survivor moms” and how can I identify and engage them in SMC Tutoring?

A: Pregnancy and becoming a parent can be hard for anyone. It can be especially difficult for those who have survived adverse or traumatic childhood experiences, such as being abused or neglected. Survivors of sexual trauma as adults also may find the pregnancy version of SMC helpful. People who have had these traumatic experiences sometimes re-experience feelings and reactions related to their childhood trauma during pregnancy, and they can feel very alone with this. It helps them to know they are not the only one and they are not alone—and that there are strategies to manage post traumatic responses. SMC refers to people with a maltreatment background as “survivor moms” for right now. We are working on inclusive language so that birthing people who don’t identify as moms will see themselves in this program.

SMC is an education program intended for any survivor mom to use during pregnancy or the early years of parenting. There are 2 ways to connect clients to the SMC:

• You can screen for maltreatment trauma (or ACEs) and PTSD. You then offer SMC based on screening results.
• You can universally offer the SMC and allow survivors to self-identify.

Not every survivor mom will feel ready to use the program. “The Fitting Room” is a document on the SMC website that is useful to help clients decide whether SMC is right for them. That document may be found here.

Q: I work with a particular sub-population of Survivor Moms (those who may be incarcerated, or identify as transgender, etc.). Can I change the materials to address their special needs?
A: Yes and no. Users are not authorized to make changes on their own, no matter how minimal, to copyrighted and trademarked SMC material and program without express written permission from Growing Forward Together. However, Growing Forward Together is willing to work with you to adapt or “tailor” SMC for the needs of particular client populations. We have a formal process to consider, authorize, co-author, and organize the work when tailoring is a good idea. To explore this option, please contact SMC directly.

Q: Some survivor moms have a lot going on—severe mental health issues, partner violence, substance abuse, high risk pregnancy—is SMC good for them?
A. Good question. Safety is the highest priority, so addressing these safety challenges should come first. Some moms will be able to engage in services for those problems and also use SMC. Others will need to take things one at a time. Tutors can help clients set priorities.

Q: We've all gotten used to doing things via video conferencing. Can we provide the SMC that way?
A. Absolutely! The SMC was designed to be delivered as telehealth if need be—by phone or video. The materials can be printed or read on a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The workbook includes fillable spaces for completing the homework.

Q: May I share my SMC materials, videos, and/or access to those materials on the SMC website with colleagues outside my agency?
A: We are delighted to learn that your colleagues are interested in SMC. They may certainly explore the sample materials located on the public-facing pages of our website and call or email us for more information.

However, Survivor Moms' Companion^®, and its copyrighted materials, is a proprietary program of Growing Forward Together. If you are using the SMC program, you or your organization has paid for training and an end user license that permits you to access the materials and also provides a structure for safe use. SMC tutoring, supervision, and materials distribution occur only in the setting of an agency or organization or private practice holding an end-user license agreement. Therefore, the SMC curriculum and materials may NOT be shared or used outside this context or at variance from the end user license agreement except by express written permission.

Q: What is Growing Forward Together?
A: The SMC is the first of a handful of trauma-specific education programs for young adults, childbearing and parenting families, and providers. Growing Forward Together is the non-profit organization that oversees the development, study, and use of these programs.

Was your question not answered here? Browse the other pages under SMC for Parents, or email info@survivormoms.org.