Week 7: Treatment of PTSD

Question 1

Trauma
Focused Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (TF CBT)

Answer 1

Psychoeducation

• Child and parent can be struggling with blaming themselves when it is not their fault
• Prevalence rates of trauma
• Typical reactions to stress
• Many children have transient symptoms

Cognitive techniques

Relaxation skills

Safety skills
-What is an ok secret to keep/what is the kind of secret you have to tell mom and dad about

Graded exposure
-Stop avoidance of situations which remind you about it

Create a “trauma narrative”

• Very detailed
• Gradually read and shared
• Can be hard as often the first time the parent hears it
• May also need to do exposure around trauma cues (e.g., the dark, bathrooms)

Question 2

TF-CBT for Child Sexual Abuse

Study set up

Answer 2

Participants
2 sites
229 youths enrolled
age 8 to 14
79% female
PTSD symptoms (89% diagnosed)
90% experienced many traumas

Design
Random assignment
TF CBT vs. “child centered therapy
Groups were comparable on PTSD diagnoses

Treated for 12 weeks
-Mean number of sessions completed was same for each group (approximately 10)
-Seven therapists were trained in both treatment modalities and
administered both
-Helps to keep raters unaware of which condition the children are in
-Potential bias of having one particularly effective therapist is mitigated if they are doing both groups

Question 3

Child-centered therapy

Answer 3

Child centered therapy

• Focuses on establishing a trusting relationship with the therapist
• Encourages parents and children to structure treatment
• Decide when and how to address the
• Therapist provides active listening and empathy, and encourages parents and children to develop strategies for coping with what happened

Question 4

Outcomes of TF-CBT

Answer 4

In both treatment groups, children and parents improved on most outcomes

Compared to CCT, children receiving TF CBT demonstrated:

Greater diagnostic recovery:

After treatment, 21% of children in TF CBT group met criteria for PTSD, 46% of the children in the CCT group

Child effects

• Fewer PTSD sx
• Less shame
• Less depression
• Fewer total problems
• Greater trust

Parent effects

• Less parent depression
• Less self blame
• More support of child
• Better parenting in general