Jimmy Widdifield, Jr.

Board Member

Jimmy Widdifield, Jr. is a training and technical assistance provider specializing in child maltreatment, trauma, and adversity. With over two decades of experience, he has focused much of his work on problematic sexual behavior (PSB) in children and adolescents, sibling sexual abuse, assessment and treatment of child maltreatment, and raising awareness of sexual minority youth. He is a trainer in Components for Enhancing Career Experience and Reducing Trauma (CE-CERT), a self-practice model designed to promote professional well-being among those working in trauma and adversity.

Jimmy serves as Project Director for Grant Training and Resources at the National Children’s Advocacy Center, where he directs a federal grant that delivers multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary training and technical assistance to strengthen professional practice in child maltreatment, with an emphasis on advancing the coordinated multidisciplinary response. Previously, he was TTA Director for the National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. In that role, he conducted needs assessments with child maltreatment professionals, developed training plans, and engaged stakeholders to support evidence-based services for young children and teens with PSB. He also has experience supporting multidisciplinary child abuse teams not affiliated with Children’s Advocacy Centers.

In clinical practice, Jimmy provided evidence-based assessment and treatment services for children (ages 3–12), adolescents, and their families across a range of clinical needs, with an emphasis on PSB and child trauma. He co-authored treatment manuals and contributed to book chapters on clinical services for youth with PSB. He also provided clinical training and supervision to master’s and doctoral-level students.

Jimmy is a member of the Association of Professionals Solving the Abuse of Children, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse, and the American Counseling Association. He completed the Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and, in 2022, received the Barbara L. Bonner Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the program.

Jimmy brings to The Assist a commitment to honor the voices, experiences, and resilience of those impacted by sexual abuse.