Systematic Redesign of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · Apr 15, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is focused on improving a type of therapy called Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), which is designed to help young people who have experienced trauma, such as violence or other distressing events. Although TF-CBT is known to be very effective, it is not often used in schools, where many young people receive mental health support. The trial aims to redesign TF-CBT so that it is easier for school counselors and social workers to use and more engaging for students. By making TF-CBT more user-friendly and suitable for the school environment, the goal is to help more children access the mental health care they need.

To participate in this trial, providers must work in schools and speak English, while students should be between the ages of 7 and 19, have experienced a traumatic event, and show signs of distress related to that trauma. Participants can expect to be part of a process that involves testing new ways to deliver this therapy in schools, which may include shorter sessions or different engagement techniques to make the experience better for both providers and students. This initiative is important because it seeks to create a more effective and accessible treatment option for young people dealing with the effects of trauma.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • INCLUSION CRITERIA
• Discover, Design/Build Phase:
• • Providers. Providers will be included if they (a) deliver mental health treatment on school grounds; (b) English speaking.
• • Students. Youth participants will meet eligibility criteria for this study, including (a) be within the TF-CBT developmental range, ages 7-19; (b) are receiving, or have previously received, school mental health services; and (c) are English speaking.
• Test Phase:
• • Providers. Providers will be included if they (a) deliver mental health treatment on school grounds; (b) have not previously received formal training in TF-CBT; and (c) are English speaking
• • Students. Youth participants will meet eligibility criteria for this study, including (a) be within the TF-CBT developmental range, ages 7-19; (b) have traumatic event exposure (e.g., exposure to violence); (c) demonstrate significant post-traumatic stress symptoms (have a trauma history as defined as a score \>31 on the Child PTSD Symptoms Scale for DSM-V \[CPSS-V\]); and (d) are English speaking.
• • EXCLUSION CRITERIA
• Discover, Design/Build Phase:
• • - Students with intellectual impairments documented in education or mental health records.
• Test Phase:
• • Providers. Providers will be excluded if they participated in the redesign process for TF-CBT.
• • Students. Students will be excluded if they (a) have intellectual impairments documented in education or mental health records and (2) are not trauma exposed.