Ptsd and Trauma Focused Cbt
PTSD and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Many children are exposed to traumatic events before they even become adults. All around the world they are exposed to child abuse, rape, natural disasters, terrorism, car accidents, and school violence among many others. Studies have shown that these traumatic events, if left untreated, can result in significant psychological problems, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other anxiety disorders, depression, or a number of other behavioral difficulties (Cohen, Mannarino, Berliner & Deblinger, 2000). These difficulties can become chronic and produce negative effects which could last into adulthood. It is therefore imperative that effective treatment strategies be found to help symptomatic traumatized children in order to minimize these negative effects. PTSD is a term used to explain the consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with stressful events that an individual experiences as being highly traumatic (Aideuis, 2007). The experience must involve an actual or threatened death, a serious physical injury, or a threat to physical and/or psychological integrity. The diagnosis of PTSD fails to adequately describe the effects that the trauma has on a child. It does not recognize the child’s loss of a sense of safety, loss of trust, and decreased self-worth. The child then withdraws and shows a disinterest in social interactions. Nevertheless, a PTSD diagnosis can help victims of trauma gain understanding, acceptance, and appropriate treatment of their symptoms. Many of the treatment modalities which have been developed to treat trauma-related symptoms in children with PTSD have been modified from treatment techniques used with traumatized adults or from techniques which have been useful in treating children who have not been traumatized who may have symptoms similar to those seen in traumatized children (Cohen, Mannarino, Berliner, & Deblinger, 2000). These symptoms may be
Many children are exposed to traumatic events before they even become adults. All around the world they are exposed to child abuse, rape, natural disasters, terrorism, car accidents, and school violence among many others. Studies have shown that these traumatic events, if left untreated, can result in significant psychological problems, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other anxiety disorders, depression, or a number of other behavioral difficulties (Cohen, Mannarino, Berliner & Deblinger, 2000). These difficulties can become chronic and produce negative effects which could last into adulthood. It is therefore imperative that effective treatment strategies be found to help symptomatic traumatized children in order to minimize these negative effects. PTSD is a term used to explain the consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with stressful events that an individual experiences as being highly traumatic (Aideuis, 2007). The experience must involve an actual or threatened death, a serious physical injury, or a threat to physical and/or psychological integrity. The diagnosis of PTSD fails to adequately describe the effects that the trauma has on a child. It does not recognize the child’s loss of a sense of safety, loss of trust, and decreased self-worth. The child then withdraws and shows a disinterest in social interactions. Nevertheless, a PTSD diagnosis can help victims of trauma gain understanding, acceptance, and appropriate treatment of their symptoms. Many of the treatment modalities which have been developed to treat trauma-related symptoms in children with PTSD have been modified from treatment techniques used with traumatized adults or from techniques which have been useful in treating children who have not been traumatized who may have symptoms similar to those seen in traumatized children (Cohen, Mannarino, Berliner, & Deblinger, 2000). These symptoms may be
References: Aideuis, D. (2007). Promoting attachment and emotional regulation of children with complex trauma disorder (2002). Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children. Science, 297, 851-854. Cohen, J., Mannarino, A., Berliner, L., & Deblinger, E. (2000). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adolescents: An empirical update [Electronic version]. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 1202-1223. Cohen, J., & Mannarino, A. (2008). Disseminating and implementing trauma-focused CBT in community settings Cohen, J., & Mannarino, A. (2008). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and parents [Electronic version] systems. Biological Psychiatry, 45, 1259-1270. Deblinger, E., Lippman, J., & Steer, R.A. (1996). Sexually abused children suffering posttraumatic stress symptoms: Initial treatment outcome findings Feather, J., & Ronan, K. (2006). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for abused children with posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot study Feather, J. & Ronan, K. (2009). Trauma-focused CBT with maltreated children: A clinic-based evaluation of a new treatment manual [Electronic version] Grubbs, G.A. (1994). An abused child’s use of sand play in the healing process. Clinical Social Work Journal, 22, 193-209. Kendall, P.C., Chansky, T.E., Kane, M.T., Kim, R.S., Kortlander, E., & Ronan, K.R. (1992). symptoms: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 1347-1355. Parson, E.R., (1997). Posttraumatic child therapy (P-TCT): Assessment and treatment factors in clinical work with inner-city children exposed to catastrophic community violence. Pine, D.C., & Cohen, J.A. (2002). Trauma in children: Risk and treatment of psychiatric sequelae Saigh, P.A. (1998). Posttraumatic stress disorder. In R.J. Morris and T.R. Kratochwith (Eds.), The Practice of Child Therapy (pp Yule, W., Smith, P., & Perrin, S. (2005). Post-traumatic stress disorders. In P.J. Graham (Ed.), Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Children and Families (2nd ed., pp