April M. Rectanus

April M. Rectanus is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and serves as Director of the Care Clinic, which provides mental health services to child maltreatment victims and trains professionals in this field.

Her educational background includes:

• Ed.D. in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University (2014-2017)
• Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Towson University (2000) with advanced study leading to Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor certification (2005)
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Bloomsburg University (1998)

Specializing in child maltreatment and trauma treatment since 2000, Dr. Rectanus integrates play therapy, cognitive-behavioral approaches, TF-CBT, and EMDR in clinical practice. Her research focuses on evidence-based trauma treatment training for counselors, emphasizing competency development for working with traumatized children and families. She has developed graduate training programs at the Care Clinic since 2007 and provides clinical supervision across multiple settings.

Her scholarly work, including her 2017 dissertation on trauma-focused counselor competency assessment, demonstrates consistent focus on translating evidence-based practices into real-world clinical training. This research directly supports her mission to improve service quality for child abuse victims through systematic counselor education.

Professional recognition includes:

• 2014 Governor’s Citation Award from GOCCP for exemplary victim services

Dr. Rectanus serves as doctoral advisor at Johns Hopkins University and provides clinical supervision to therapists nationwide. Her work with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network since 2015 expands her impact on child trauma systems. As Care Clinic Director, she leads interdisciplinary teams providing direct clinical services while developing training curricula adopted by professionals across Maryland.