What is TF-CBT?
TF-CBT is a therapeutic intervention designed to help children, adolescents, and their parents overcome the impact of traumatic events. For example, it is designed to help with traumas related to sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, and community violence, an unexpected death of a loved one, natural disasters and war.
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.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that TF-CBT is more effective in helping children overcome trauma than other therapeutic interventions.
What Can My Child/Adolescent 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.