TF-CBT
TF-CBT | Teen Counseling | Teen Therapy | Grand Junction | Colorado
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents impacted by trauma and their parents or caregivers. It is considered a gold standard in treating trauma in children. It is a components-based treatment model that incorporates trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral, family, and humanistic principles and techniques. TF-CBT has proved successful with children and adolescents (ages 3 to 18) who have significant emotional problems (e.g., symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, fear, anxiety, or depression) related to traumatic life events. It can be used with children and adolescents who have experienced a single trauma or multiple traumas in their lives.
The focus of treatment is to:
Assist the child or adolescent to develop coping strategies for traumatic stress reactions.
Reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, or acting out behavior which are common in children exposed to trauma.
TF-CBT is provided to children from 3 to 18 years of age by a professional who has received training in TF-CBT. The treatment typically lasts between 12 to 16 sessions. These sessions include:
Individual sessions for child or adolescent.
Individual sessions for parents.
Conjoint sessions between parent and child or adolescent.
What can my child/teen expect from TF-CBT?
Learning that the trauma was not their fault and that they are not the only ones who have survived a similar traumatic event.
Identifying feelings and learning how to manage them.
Learning how to relax and tolerate trauma reminders.
Identifying negative thoughts that cause depression and anxiety.
Learning how to replace negative thoughts with more helpful thoughts.
Learning how to resolve problems
Learning safety skills.
An important goal in treatment is to provide the child an opportunity to discuss details about the trauma in a supportive and nurturing environment. In developing their trauma narrative the child’s brain begins to replace traumatic memories with more helpful thoughts about the trauma. In time, these powerful traumatic reminders begin to lose their impact on the child and become less frequent.
What do I have to do as a parent?
The participation of the parent is tremendously important in treatment. Studies show that children whose parents participated in their treatment improve more rapidly. TF-CBT focuses on helping parents by assisting in the following:
Discussing their own feelings and thoughts about their child’s traumatic experience
Learning techniques to improve parenting skills.
Improving communication through family sessions.
Preparing the parent to support their child or adolescent when sharing trauma narrative in conjoint session.
In cases where parents have also been a trauma survivor, there is an opportunity for the parent to process how their trauma impacts their child.