Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a therapeutic intervention designed to help children, teens, and families overcome the impact of traumatic events.

TF-CBT serves children, teens, and families ages 3-18 years old who experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and trauma symptoms from a traumatic event.

Examples of Traumatic Events:

• Physical, Emotional, or Sexual Abuse

• Community Violence

• Car Accidents

• Traumatic Grief and Loss

• Natural Disasters

• And more!

TF-CBT usually lasts between 8 to 16 sessions. The program includes:

• One-on-one sessions for the child or teen

• One-on-one sessions for the caregiver

• Sessions where both the caregiver and child or teen meet together with the therapist

Clients and families saw faster improvements compared to traditional treatment methods. The treatment itself was shorter, and symptoms got better more quickly. They also needed fewer additional services, like ongoing counseling or case management, during and after treatment. Plus, clients used fewer medications.

Each week, you and your child will work together to identify the biggest challenges you're facing and rate how severe those challenges are. You’ll also answer questions about these challenges to help track progress.

MATCH is supported by a helpful tool called CHART (Clinical Health Assessment Response Tracking System), which is an easy-to-use online program. Through this system, you and your child will complete a quick survey each week—whether you’re meeting with your clinician or not—via a link sent to your email.

You and your clinician can then review your progress over time using a simple graph that shows:

• The progress made

• The skills that have been used

• The challenges that are still there

Your clinician will also keep track of the strategies and tools used in counseling to monitor and discuss your child’s progress throughout the treatment.

Children and teens who’ve gone through a traumatic event may develop strong fears about anything that reminds them of what happened. This fear can make them want to avoid talking about the event or even thinking about it. As a result, they might show signs like:

• Having trouble remembering or talking about the trauma

• Constantly thinking about the event

• Feeling emotionally or physically numb

• Having trouble sitting still or being overly fidgety

• Experiencing rapid mood swings

• Having trouble sleeping, like having nightmares or not wanting to sleep alone

• Feeling depressed or anxious

• Struggling with low self-esteem

• Finding it hard to trust others

• Having thoughts of hurting themselves or others

These symptoms are ways the child’s mind and body are reacting to the stress and fear from the trauma.