Children and adolescents who have experienced a single traumatic incident or multiple traumatic incidents can often exhibit emotional and behavioral problems, such as PTSD, anxiety, shame, and depression. Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a form of therapy that addresses these effects of trauma by using several therapeutic approaches to treat both child and caregiver.
TF-CBT is a short-term intervention. Cognitive-behavioral techniques help distorted or unhelpful thinking and negative behaviors. Family therapy examines the interactions between family members and target unhelpful family dynamics by teaching parenting, emotion-management, and communication skills. In cases where there are serious issues, such as suicidal ideation or substance abuse, an initial intervention may be used before TF-CBT.