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TFC: Trauma-Focused Coping in Schools
 

By Jack Komer, 12/2021.

What is TFC?                                                                                     

TFC (also known as Multimodality Trauma Treatment Trauma-Focused Coping) is a skills-oriented, cognitive-behavioral treatment approach for children exposed to single incident trauma and targets PTSD and collateral symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, and external locus of control. Designed as a peer-mediating group intervention in schools, it is adaptable for use as group or individual treatment as well.

Components of TFC (NCTSN, 2012)

Session Agenda for TFC:

    Session 1: Psychoeducation
    Session 2: Anxiety Management
    Session 3: Anxiety Management and Cognitive Training (Thinking, Feeling, Doing, and 
        Stress Thermometer)
    Session 4: Cognitive Training (Traumatic Reminders)
    Session 5a: Anger Coping
    Session 5b: Grief Management 
    Session 6: Individual Pull-out Session (Narrative Exposure)

    Session 7: Setting up the Stimulus Hierarchy (Group)
    Session 8: Group Narrative Exposure
    Session 9: Group Narrative Exposure (Cognitive and Affective Processing)
    Session 10: Group Narrative Exposure (Worst Moment)
    Session 11: Worst Moment Cognitive and Affective Processing
    Sessions 12-13: Relapse Prevention and Generalization
    Session 14: Graduation Ceremony

Evidence of AF-CBT Effectiveness (NCTSN, 2012)

Articles Describing Key Components of Intervention:

  • Amaya-Jackson, L., Reynolds, V., Murray, M., McCarthy, G., Nelson, A., Cherney, M., et al. (2003). Cognitive     behavioral treatment for pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder: Protocol and application in school and         community settings. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 10, 204-213

  • March, J., Amaya-Jackson, L., Murray, M. & Schulte, A. (1998). Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for 
       children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder following a single incident stressor. Journal         of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37(6), 585-593.

Pilot Study:

  • Amaya-Jackson, L., Reynolds, V., Murray, M., McCarthy, G., Nelson, A., Cherney, M., et al. (2003). Cognitive     behavioral treatment for pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder: Protocol and application in school and         community settings. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 10, 204-213

Trials:

  • March, J., Amaya-Jackson, L., Murray, M. & Schulte, A. (1998). Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for    children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder following a single incident stressor. Journal         of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37(6), 585-593.

  • Michael, K. D., Hill, R., Hudson, M. L. & Furr, R. M. (2002, October). Adjunctive manualized treatment of 
    sexually traumatized youth in a residential milieu: Preliminary results from a small randomized controlled trial.
     Paper presented at the Kansas Conference in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Lawrence, KS.

TFC
Manual
 

National Child Traumatic Stress Network Fact Sheet on 
TFC
 

References

NCTSN. (2012). TFC: Trauma-Focused Coping in Schools [Fact sheet]. https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/interventions/afcbt_fact_sheet.pdf

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