- Home
- » Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
- » Treatment & Trauma-Informed Care
- » Treatment for Traumatized Children, Youth, and Families
Treatment for Traumatized Children, Youth, and Families
These resources help professionals identify and implement treatment programs to meet the needs of children, youth, and families affected by trauma.
Trauma Treatment (Child and Adolescent)
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
Describes programs reviewed and rated by the Clearinghouse for their effectiveness in treating trauma in children and youth.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network Empirically Supported Treatments and Promising Practices
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Presents an array of intervention programs that span a continuum of evidence-based interventions, ranging from rigorously evaluated interventions to promising practices and newly emerging practices.
Child Trauma Academy
Offers free online courses on several trauma-related topics as well as access to articles, videos, and other materials on working with traumatized children and youth.
Nurturing Adoptions: Creating Resilience After Neglect and Trauma
Gray (2007)
View Abstract
Explores the trauma of adopted children and discusses best practices for professionals working with adoptive families. Chapters address trauma symptoms, child development, attachment, resiliency, home studies, placement planning, post-placement visits, and more.
Trauma Assessment Pathway (TAP) Model
Chadwick Center for Children and Families, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego
Offers a framework to build and sustain an assessment-based treatment program and provides a guide for individualized treatment for complexly traumatized children.
Trauma Specific Interventions
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Provides summaries of trauma-specific interventions based upon psychosocial educational empowerment principles that have been used extensively in public system settings.
Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders: An Evidence-Based Guide
Courtois & Ford (2009)
View Abstract
Presents practical guidelines for assessing and treating trauma in children, adolescents, and adults. Numerous individual and systemic treatment approaches and strategies are described, including psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, contextual therapy, experiential and emotion-focused therapy, sensorimotor pharmacotherapy, and family systems therapy.
Children and youth
Adapting Evidence-Based Treatments for Use With American Indian and Native Alaskan Children and Youth (PDF - 431 KB)
BigFoot & Braden
Focal Point, 21(1), 2007
Describes ways to adapt treatments to address the broad cultural, historical, and intergenerational traumas that are part of the life experience of many Native American youth.
Could Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Help Young Children in Foster Care Circumvent the Long-Term Effects of Early Trauma? (PDF - 908 KB)
Theiss
Michigan Child Welfare Law Journal, 11(2), 2007
Explores the core elements of DBT and the benefits of using it with foster children. DBT is described as a way to teach and promote acceptance of self, personal histories, and current situations while helping children work toward changing unhealthy or problematic thoughts, emotions, or behaviors.
Creative Interventions With Traumatized Children
Malchiodi (2008)
View Abstract
Explores ethical, cultural, and other special issues related to creative interventions and describes interventions for individuals, families, or groups. Interventions include creative arts therapies and expressive therapies.
Early Childhood Trauma (PDF - 180 KB)
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2010)
Discusses early childhood trauma and how it is unique. The factsheet discusses recognizing symptoms and behaviors associated with exposure to trauma, enhancing resilience in young children and families, and treatment options.
Psychotherapy With Infants and Young Children: Repairing the Effects of Stress and Trauma on Early Attachment
Lieberman & Van Horn (2008)
View Abstract
Outlines the theoretical goals, therapeutic modalities, and core clinical competencies of child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) and presents CPP variations in response to specific challenges.
Siblings in Adoption and Foster Care: Traumatic Separations and Honored Connections
Silverstein & Smith (2008)
View Abstract
Describes the importance of sibling relationships and ways to minimize or prevent the trauma experienced by foster and adopted children who are separated from their siblings. Additional issues addressed include legal rights, open adoption arrangements, sibling reunions, and kinship families.
Trauma Among Homeless Youth (PDF - 136 KB)
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2007)
Discusses the types of trauma experienced by homeless and runaway youth and recommends treatment strategies.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Addressing the Mental Health of Sexually Abused Children | |
Series Title: | Issue Briefs |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 217KB) |
Year Published: | 2007 - 14 pages |
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) has been found to reduce children?s negative emotional and behavioral responses after sexual abuse and other traumatic events. It also helps nonoffending parents cope with their own distress and develop skills to support their children. This issue brief explores the characteristics and benefits of TF-CBT to help child welfare caseworkers and other professionals who work with at-risk families make more informed decisions about when to refer children and their caregivers to TF-CBT programs. It includes information about what makes TF-CBT unique, key components, target population, effectiveness, and what to look for in a TF-CBT therapist. |
Trauma Informed Interventions: Clinical and Research Evidence and Culture-Specific Information Project (PDF - 6994 KB)
De Arellano,Ko, Danielson, & Sprague (2008)
Identifies trauma-focused interventions that have been developed and used with trauma-affected youth populations of various cultural backgrounds and describes their degrees of cultural competence.
Working With Children to Heal Interpersonal Trauma: The Power of Play
Gil (2010)
View Abstract
Demonstrates applications of play, art, and other expressive therapies with traumatized children and shares effective strategies for engaging hard-to-reach children and building trusting therapeutic relationships.
Caregivers and families
Introduction to Working With Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma: Techniques and Strategies
Knight (2009)
View Abstract
Focuses on an interactional model for helping adult survivors of childhood trauma. Chapters are organized around the phases in the helping relationship and emphasize the importance of that relationship in promoting client growth and change.
Trauma, Attachment, and Family Therapy With Grandfamilies: A Model for Treatment
Strong, Bean, & Feinauer
Children and Youth Services Review, 32(1), 2010
View Abstract
Describes a treatment model that facilitates healing of children and caregivers in kinship care by nurturing attachment between the grandparent and grandchild.
Working With Substance Abusing Mothers: A Trauma-Informed, Gender-Responsive Approach (PDF - 64 KB)
Covington
The Source, 16(1), 2007
Explains a treatment model for substance abusing mothers that focuses on three stages of recovery: safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection. The article profiles three curricula for working with women and girls and discusses the criteria for developing a healing, trauma-informed environment.