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