MDT Training Opportunities
Ralston House utilizes a multidisciplinary team response to child abuse allegations and includes representation from law enforcement, child protective service, district attorneys, medical team, mental health navigator, and victim advocacy support. We offer several free trainings every year.
2026 Training Schedule
August MDT Training: False Memory Defense
Thursday, August 20, 2026 11am-1pm
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026 from 11am - 1pm
Location: Thornton Police Department- Training Room
Justice Center Headquarters
9551 Civic Center Dr. Thornton, CO 80229
Topic: Child Sexual Abuse Cases & the False Memory Defense
The defense of false memory has been employed in child sexual assault cases more commonly in recent years. This phenomenon biased the field against researching and understanding offenders’ strategies in interfering with victim memories and improperly inflated the public notion that false reports are common. This training will introduce the basis for the false memory defense, and the research that is commonly used to back up this type of defense. We will discuss the best ways to combat these claims, including the newest research discussing false memory.
Presented by:
Genevieve Craggs, CDAC
Genevieve Craggs joined CDAC in July of 2026 as the Sexual Assault Resource Prosecutor. Prior to her work at CDAC, she spent over 11 years working as a prosecutor, first at the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada, and then honing her knowledge of Colorado law at the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Boulder. For eight of those years, she specialized in sexual assault and domestic violence prosecution.
September MDT Training: Vicarious Trauma
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 11am-1pm
Date: Wednesday, September 16 11am-1pm
Location: Westminster Police Department Training Room, 9110 Yates St., Westminster, CO 80031
Topic: How to Stay Gritty When Things Get Shitty
This training addresses the unique challenges faced by professionals who work closely with individuals experiencing trauma and crisis. Participants will learn to recognize and manage the psychological impacts of sustained exposure to others' traumatic experiences, including vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout.
The course explores how trauma exposure can affect fundamental assumptions about trust, safety, and self-worth, while also introducing the positive concepts of vicarious resilience and compassion satisfaction. Attendees will learn to identify physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive warning signs of trauma exposure in themselves and colleagues.
Participants will gain practical strategies organized into three key approaches: avoidance versus healthy compartmentalization, inoculation through breathwork and mindfulness practices, and decontamination techniques for processing difficult experiences. The training emphasizes building antifragility—the ability to grow stronger through adversity rather than simply surviving it.
Designed for helping professionals in high-impact roles, this course provides evidence-based tools for maintaining resilience, processing traumatic material effectively, and building sustainable careers while preserving personal well-being.
Presented by:
Cora Luedtke, Brower Psychological Police & Public Safety Services
Although born and raised in Colorado, Cora has lived and worked in various communities across the globe. With a decade of community mental health experience, she is adept at working with acute mental health conditions and crisis situations. The past six years she has worked as a co-responder clinician alongside law enforcement and other first responders. Combined with her marriage to a law enforcement officer, she has developed a unique perspective and passion for first responder mental health and well-being.
Cora holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and soon to be Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC). In addition to crisis intervention, she holds a certification in complex trauma (the Neuro-Affective Relational Model, NARM) and is a CAMS Trained clinician (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality). Cora believes in the power of presence and community. She integrates mindfulness practices with evidence-based and solutions focused interventions
October MDT Training: Dynamics of Domestic Violence & the Impacts on Children
Date: Thursday, October 22 11am-1pm
Location: Westminster Police Department, East Training Room
9110 Yates St. Westminster, CO 80031
Topic: Dynamics of Domestic Violence and the Impacts on Children
This training addresses the complex dynamics associated with domestic violence and the impacts to children in the household. Please join us as we review several cases involving domestic violence.
Presented by:
17th Judicial District Attorney's Office
November MDT Training: The Forensic Medical Exam
Thursday, November 19, 2026 11am-1pm
Date: Thursday, November 19 11am-1pm
Location: Jefferson County District Attorney's Office- Training Room
500 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401
Topic: The Forensic Medical Exam
Presented by:
Dr. Coral Steffey, MD, FAAP
Coral Steffey, MD, FAAP joined Ralston House in 2018. She is a board-certified pediatrician and the medical director of the co-located Denver Health child abuse team at the Denver SAFE Center. She also provides medical care for children at Ralston House Children's Advocacy Center, serves on the Denver Child Fatality Review Board, participates in multidisciplinary case reviews in Denver and Jefferson Counties, and serves on the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman Board. Coral is passionate about child maltreatment education for children, caregivers, and professionals, and has worked in the field of child abuse medicine since 2009.
CASE REVIEW
Case review takes place on the second Wednesday at each month at the Jefferson County District Attorney Office. This training is closed to the public. For more information or to be added to the communication list - please email jkemps@ralstonhouse.org
SART
The Sex Assualt Task Force meets the third Tuesday of the month in the 17th Judicial District. Locations may vary. This meeting is closed to the public.
For more information contact: Sexual Assault Response Team, Brighton Police Department
Medical Referral Form
Click here to request a medical referral form for your case.
Vicarious Trauma Resources
Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the first hand trauma experiences of another. Its symptoms mimic those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Accordingly, individuals affected by secondary stress may find themselves re-experiencing personal trauma or notice an increase in arousal and avoidance reactions related to the indirect trauma exposure. Click here for more resources.