Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence based, effective treatment for the treatment of trauma in children and teens.
If your child has experienced a significant life stressor, family change, trauma, or is stressed about a family situation, TF-CBT may be the best intervention to help.
Signs of Traumatic Stress in children and teens:
- unexplained or increased anger or irritability that feel out of the blue or “0 to 60”,
- difficulties eating,
- difficulties sleeping,
- poor attention,
- hyperactivity,
- new or increased anxiety or worries,
- school refusal,
- worsened school performance,
- social withdrawal,
- withdrawing from the family,
- reacting to reminders of the stressor or trauma,
- increased thoughts about death/dying in regards to self or others,
- concerns about safety or lack of safety.
What is TF-CBT?
TF-CBT is focused on helping children and adolescents resolve trauma through a multi-phased treatment plan that includes the creation of a trauma narrative to create mastery of the trauma.
The primary parts of TF-CBT include:
- teaching children and parents about trauma and trauma reactions,
- relaxation/calming skills,
- affect regulation skills,
- processing the trauma,
- creating a trauma narrative,
- creating mastery of trauma reminders,
- some conjoint child-parent sessions,
- working to increase a sense of future safety.
TF CBT requires significant verbal emotional processing skills in order to create a trauma narrative. Additionally, the child must be able to engage in the calming and relaxation skills which the therapist will work with the child to learn how to do before moving into the trauma narrative.
All TF-CBT therapists are additionally trained in other evidence-based treatment modalities for trauma in children or adolescents in case the child or teen requires an alternate method of processing their trauma in a less verbal form (play therapy, EMDR, sand tray, and others).
Mindful Way Counseling therapists trained in TF-CBT include: Kim Schultz, LICSW and Andrea Patten, LICSW.