Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Consultation Calls

ARBEST

Welcome to the TF-CBT Consultation Call group hosted by Adam Benton, PhD. I’m happy to have you on our calls and hope that this is a great experience for you! Below you will find the consultation call guidelines, and we will post resources on this site as the calls progress. Please remember that I want group participation and am eager to hear your thoughts and concerns as you learn this new treatment approach. It is group participation and mutual respect for other clinicians, that make these calls a great experience.

Important Consultation Call Information

Frequently Asked Questions

The calls are scheduled bi-weekly (approximately two times a month) and will last about six months.  There are a total of 15 calls scheduled.

Attendance is taken at the very beginning, please call-in on time so you receive credit.  The facilitator will then open discussion up to the group and ask if anyone would like to present a case.  If there are no cases to present, the facilitator may ask if there are any general questions about TF-CBT.

In addition to the facilitator and yourself, there will be several other clinicians from around the state also participating in the calls.

We designate a trained clinician as someone who has 1) completed the web-based learning course for TF-CBT that’s offered through the Medical University of South Carolina, 2) attended the two-day TF-CBT conference and 3) participated in a minimum of 12 hourly consultation calls, presented two cases, and presented the results of two UCLA PTSDs.  For information on how to become nationally certified follow this link: https://rtfweb.wpahs.org/tfcbt/

Call:  1-877-366-0711
Participant Code:  65611721#
Leader Code:  28376391#

Click here to log into the ARBEST site.

Adam Benton, PhD

Janelle Von Storch, LPC

NEW CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE

 1-844-SAVE-A-CHILD (1-844-728-3244)

TF-CBT Administrative Resources

TF-CBT Clinical Resources

Links, Apps, and Online Resources for Treating Traumatic Stress Issues

Suicide Prevention

Smart Phone Apps

  • Triangle of Life
  • iMood Journal
  • Virtual Hope Box
  • Mood Lyrics
  • Breathe2Relax
  • Sitting Still
  • Breathe (Sesame Street )
  • Headspace (mindful meditation)
  • My 3 (suicide prevention)
 
 

  • Kids Bank
  • My Nanny
  • Class Dojo
 

  • Class Dojo
  • SnapType: takes pictures of worksheets and lets you type directly on them
  • The Homework App: organize homework assignments
  • MyHomework Student Planner App: organize homework assignments
  • InClass App: organize homework assignments

Relaxation Videos For Children

Great Videos For Kids

Understanding Emotions

Why Do We Flip Our Lids

Fight Flight Freeze- A Guid to Anxiety for Kids 

Why We Loose Control of Our Emotions

Understanding Traumatic Stress

Through Our Eyes: Children, Violence, & Trauma (Parents & Teens Only)

Other Helpful Resources

Miscellaneous

Research & Tx Guidelines

Favorite Books On Assessment and Treatment Of Trauma in Children

  • Treating Trauma and Traumatic Grief in Children and Teens, by Cohen, Mannarino, & Deblinger
  • The Body Keeps the Score, by Van Der Kolk
  • Nurturing Resilience, by Kathy Kain
  • Internal Family Systems, by Schwartz
  • Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
  • Embracing Our Selves, by Hal & Sidra Stone

  • Journey Through Trauma, by Gretchen Schmelzer
  • Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors
  • Ego State Interventions, by Robin Shapiro
  • Psychotherapy with Infants and Young Children, by Lieberman
  • Don’t Hit My Mommy, by Lieberman, Ippen, & Horn

Free Resources For Assessing Traumatic Stress and Related Conditions

Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire

UCLA PTSD Reaction Index

Traumatic Events Survey

Child & Adolescent Trauma Scale

Educational Resources For Children & Parents

Parent Education on Trauma

  1. Book: It Happens To Boys Too
  2. Child Physical Abuse Factsheet
  3. Child Sexual Abuse FactSheet   
  4. FAQ about Abuse
  5. My_Child_Has_Been_Sexually_Abused: A_Guide_for_Parents
  6. The Truth About Sexual Abuse
  7. Understanding Child Traumatic Stress
  8. What Is Child Traumatic Stress
  9. Parenting and Trauma

Parent Engagement

  1. TFCBT Parenting Skills and Engaging Families
  2. Mary-McKay-Parent-Engagement-Presentation

Parenting Skills & Support

  1.  TFCBT Parenting Skills and Engaging Families 
  2. CDC Parent Training Videos
  3. Center for Effective Parenting: 

    What works with parent training?  Parent_Training_Meta-analysis

Parenting Books

  1. The Defiant Child, By Russell Barkley
  2. The Kazdin Method, By Alan Kazdin
  3. 123 Magic by Thomas Phalen
  4. The Explosive Child By Ross Greene
  5. Parenting the Strong-Willed Child, By Forehand and Long
  6. Parenting with Love and Logic
  7. Love Your Kids on Purpose, by Danny Silk
  8. Smart Discipline by Larry Cohen
  9. Conscious Discipline Curriculum.

TF-CBT “PRACTICE” Components,

Feldman & Dorsey UW 2010

Remember: Education, Parent Engagement, and Gradual Exposure are part of every session if possible.

Call #1: Getting Started with TF-CBT Calls

Call #2: Assessment & Engagement

Goals

  1. Identify the history of traumatic exposure
  2. Identify Traumatic Stress Symptoms
  3. Establish baseline functioning
  4. Observe parent-child and family interactions
  5. Establish treatment goals collaboratively.
  6. Reduce resistance and anxiety about treatment
  7. Identify and address barriers to treatment

Call #3: Psycho-education

Goals

  1. Teach, normalize and validate traumatic stress symptoms.
  2. Normalize exposure to trauma.
  3. Reduce self-blame.
  4. Describe TF-CBT process.

Call #4: Parenting & Behavior Management

Goals

  1. Improve parent-child relationship.
  2. Increase parenting skills when needed, such as positive reinforcement, one-on-one time, selective attention, rewards, avoiding power struggles, ignoring, limit setting, and consistent consequences. 
  3. Teach, model and coach the use of new parenting skills. Don’t just teach.

Call #5: Relaxation

Goals

  1. Provide the patient with skills to relax.
  2. Help create a toolbox of skills for use with Narrative and in day-to-day life.

Examples include:

  1. Blow Bubbles to demonstrate calm, slow breaths. 
  2. Mandalas or other intricate designs to color
  3. Using art to express the emotions
  4. Belly breathing
  5. Mindful meditation
  6. Progressive muscle relaxation 
  7. Guided imagery 
  8. Connect sand
  9. Music playlist based on mood, for teens
  10. Hands-on Activities like Smelling cookings, Squeezing lemons
  11. Yoga: Cosmic Kids, Cosmic Kids Peace Out,  Yoga with Adriene
  12. The Magic Shell –  click here 
     

Call #6: Affect Modulation

Goals

  1. Help kids identify feeling and a vocabulary express them.
  2. Help them understand they can experience conflicting feelings, or multiple feelings simultaneously.
  3. Normalize a range of feelings.
  4. Teach the Cognitive Triangle: explaining the association between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
  5. Practice rating the intensity of feelings in order to gain understanding the continuum of emotional experience rather than black/white thinking about feelings.
  6. Identify feelings associated the traumatic event.

Some Examples of Methods:

  1. Feeling Charades
  2. Color Your World (tech by Kevin O’conner)
  3. Feelings Tic-Tac-Toe
  4. Feelings Spinner Wheel
  5. Feelings Bingo
  6. Four categories of feelings: Mad, Sad, Happy, Scared
  7. Inside Out Character squishes movie clips, and books.
  8. Story Cubes
  9. Emotions Cards

Call #7: Cognitive Coping

Goals

  1. Teach the Cognitive Triangle 
  2. Help identify automatic thoughts
  3. Help the patient discern between helpful and unhelpful thoughts, and how they relate to feeling and behavior.

Examples of Methods:

  1. Mood Monitoring Chart
  2. Head, hearts and hands
  3. Charades
  4. Cognitive Distortions
  5. Socratic Dialogue
  6. Socratic Questioning
  7. Affirmation cards written by parents & therapist

Call #8: Trauma Narrative

Goals

  1. TF-CBT Length of Tx and Narrative
  2. Identify helpful and unhelpful thoughts about the trauma and related events and world views.
  3. Make sure the patient doesn’t define themselves by the trauma or see themselves as damaged.

Examples of Methods:

  1. Story narrative
  2. Comic strip
  3. Role-play
  4. Television Interview
  5. Responsibility Pie
  6. Logical questioning
  7. Examine the evidence

Call #9: In Vivo

Goals

  1. Separate harmless trauma reminders or triggers from fear (learned anxiety).
  2. Reduce avoidance that interferes with daily functioning.

Methods

  1. Create a fear ladder
  2. In-session exposure practice
  3. Incentives and reward plans

Call #10: Conjoint Sessions

Goals

  1. Provide opportunity for support from trusted adult
  2. Celebrate treatment successes
  3. Allow adult to hear the child’s perspective

UAMS / ARBEST  Webinar by Ben Sigel, PhD: Completing a Trauma Narrative in TF-CBT 8.16.13

Call #11: Enhancing Safety

Goals

  1. Provide safety plan to help child feel safer
  2. Teach safety and abuse prevention skills for the future

Call #12: Problematic Sexual Behavior

About Us

Arkansas Families First is a multidisciplinary behavioral health care group that offers a variety of health services for children, teens and families in Central Arkansas. Our group of independently practicing providers strive to provide the best, most comprehensive care that modern psychology, psychiatry, counseling, and other disciplines have to offer.

Mission

Arkansas Families First is devoted to unlocking the full potential of children and families. We utilize the latest research and the most skilled providers in the service of improving people’s lives. We strive to empower parents and to integrate multiple disciplines in the building of strong families and healthy children.

Our Promise

We take a strengths-based approach utilizing the latest evidence-based treatments and include parents in all aspects of treatment and assessment. We’ll find the service and the provider that best fits your family. With our growing list of clinicians, if you are not satisfied with your provider or services will help you make the necessary changes.