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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

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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.

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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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