TF-CBT 101
What does TF-CBT stand for?
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
What is psychoeducation?
Psychoeducation is the process of learning about the different types of traumas, definitions related to trauma, common symptoms and reactions, and learning about your diagnosis.
Can you name 2 behavior reactions someone might have in response to a traumatic experience?
What does "trauma" mean?
Trauma refers to an extremely stressful event that exceeds "normal" stress. A trauma is usually situations where someone was abused, hurt or killed, or thought they could have been. Traumas can cause a lot of feelings including being confused, terrified, overwhelmed, helpless, angry, and/or numb. When faced with a trauma, you go into survival mode and use survival responses like fight, flight, or freeze.
Name 3 personal strengths.
Examples: Kind, Friendly, Loving, Empathetic, Intelligent, Funny, Supportive, Open-minded, Thoughtful, Insightful, Optimistic, etc.
What is TF-CBT?
TF-CBT is an effective approach that helps children, teens, and young adults deal with and make sense of their traumas. You will learn about trauma and coping skills to help you feel better and be more successful in achieving your goals. You will also learn ways to keep yourself safe.
What are relaxation skills? Can you name any exmaples?
These are skills that we can use to help calm our minds and our bodies when we are in "survival mode" or experiencing things such as anxiety, anger, depression, or trauma reactions. Examples include: deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, grounding exercises, meditation, mindfulness, distraction, etc.
Can you name at least 2 common body reactions someone may feel in response to a traumatic experience?
Examples: Feeling jumpy/shaky, Trouble sleeping, Tense body, Trouble eating, Stomachaches, Hyperactive/fidgety, Feeling disconnected from your body, Nightmares, Headaches, etc.
What are some examples of traumatic events?
Death of love one, Abuse, Bullying, Parents Divorce, Moving, Car Wreck, just to name a few
Describe your safe space.
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True or False: in TF-CBT work, my therapist will force me to talk about the scary and painful things I've experienced in order to help me.
FALSE: your therapist will move at your pace and teach you skills to manage your emotions so that you can and feel more comfortable discussing past traumatic experiences. When you are ready, your therapist will support and validate you as you share about the experiences you've had and remind you to use the skills you've learned in therapy to regulate your thoughts and feelings.
What happens in the Affective Modulation stage of TF-CBT?
Can you name at least 2 common feelings reactions someone may have following a traumatic experience?
Examples: Guilt, anger, embarrassment, numbness, rejected, worried, sadness, nervousness, anxiety, depression, helplessness, hopeless about the future, betrayed, not experiencing joy in things you used to, etc.
What type of abuse is this: unwanted or inappropriate sexual behavior, contact, or exposure, including touching or other sexual acts forced upon a minor by an adult or older person.
Sexual Abuse
What ways have you tried to cope with stress/trauma already?
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True or False: Trauma experiences are not very common.
FALSE: Reports have shown that more than two thirds of children reported at least 1 traumatic event by age 16.
What happens in the Cognitive Coping stage of TF-CBT?
Cognitive is another word for "thinking". In this stage, we will explore the thoughts you have that may be unhelpful or barriers to your ability to process trauma. We will also learn and practice how to create more helpful thoughts so that we think more accurately and can make good decisions.
Can you name at least 2 examples of common thinking reactions someone may have in response to a traumatic experience?
Examples: "The world is a bad place", "Everyone is unsafe", "I am bad", "It's my fault", difficulty focusing, believing nothing good will ever happen, thinking about the trauma a lot, thinking about wanting to die, images of the trauma, memories/flashbacks, etc.
What type of abuse is this: Behavior that hurts a person's feelings, self-worth, or emotional well-being. This includes constant criticism, humiliation, yelling, threatening, or any form of verbal or emotional mistreatment.
Emotional Abuse
What are you most looking forward to about the future?
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True or False: No matter how much therapy you get, you will never recover or heal from the trauma(s) you've experienced.
FALSE: 80% of those who've engaged in TF-CBT have experienced significant improvement in less that 16 weeks (that's less than 6 months!).
What is a Trauma Narrative?
The Trauma Narrative stage of TF-CBT is where you create and share the story of your experiences as a way to process it and take back your power by using your relaxation, emotion regulation, and cognitive coping skills.
What are the 3 ways our brains react when in survival mode? Which of these have you experienced?
Fight, Flight, Freeze
What type of abuse is this: Actions that cause harm or injury to the body, such as hitting, punching, kicking, or any form of violence that causes physical pain or injury.
Physical Abuse
What worries/scares you most about trauma-focused therapy?
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