What is Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)?
Updated: Jul 4
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidenced based-trauma informed treatment for kids 3-18 that have experienced a traumatic event and as a result are experiencing trauma symptoms.
That's a lot of a big words and fancy terms all to say that this is a model for kiddos that have experienced an event or learned of someone they love experiencing an event that was scary or upsetting when it occurred and it changed the way the kiddo thinks of the world. Example kiddo rides in cars every day without a second thought until they are in an accident and now weeks later they refuse to get in the car.
All kids (and people) have or will experience scary or upsetting experience, but the majority of kiddos are resilient and do not have a negative response. For those kiddos that do, they may experience persistent negative feelings, feel the world is no longer safe, struggle trusting people and have an inability to plan for the future. Others struggle with sleep, appetite, headaches, stomachaches and problems going to the bathrooms. Some are angry and experience outbursts; others isolate and lose interest in activities that used to bring them joy. For these kids, a treatment model like TF-CBT can help them reprocess (rewrite 😀) their experience and return to their typical, joyful selves.
If this is your kiddo, don't wait! There IS hope and I promise... I give my word, kids can overcome the worse traumas imaginable. Is it easy? Nope! Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!