NCJ Number
236239
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2011 Pages: 637-646
Date Published
August 2011
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article examines strategies for implementing trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with ongoing traumas.
Abstract
This article discusses the use of an evidence-based treatment strategy for youth suffering from ongoing traumas. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) includes components that enhance a young person's resiliency-based coping skills, actively includes parents or caregivers in treatment, and develops trauma narratives to allow the youth to cognitively process their personal trauma experiences. This paper discusses several practical strategies that can be used by clinicians who wish to implement TF-CBT. These strategies include: enhancing safety early in treatment; enhancing parental engagement; and optimally focusing the trauma narration and processing. The article also examines key issues for using TF-CBT in youth with past and ongoing traumas. These issues include the degree to which youth, their parents, and therapists can realistically count on the youth's ongoing safety; the degree to which the non-offending parent or primary caregiver is able to protect the youth, and how this affects the parent's self-view; and the degree to which youth are able to engage in perspective-taking and contextualizing. Examples of the successful implementation of TF-CBT for youth with ongoing traumas are discussed. Figures and references