Trauma Histories in Children (TF-CBT)

Healing the Hurt: Trauma-Focused Support for Children and Teens

Trauma in childhood isn’t just about what happened; it’s about how the child’s brain and body processed the event. Whether it was a single incident (like an accident or loss) or a prolonged situation (like abuse or neglect), trauma acts like an “invisible backpack” filled with heavy stones. These stones represent the fear, confusion, and shame the child carries into every part of their life—school, friendships, and even sleep.

At Cedar Tree Counseling in Oklahoma, we don’t ask, “What is wrong with this child?” We ask, “What happened to this child, and how can we help them carry this load?” We provide a specialized, clinical framework to help children and adolescents in Tulsa, OK, unpack those stones and reclaim their sense of safety and joy.

What is TF-CBT? (The Gold Standard of Care)

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a highly structured, short-term treatment model specifically developed for children and adolescents. It is widely recognized as the most effective treatment for addressing the emotional and behavioral difficulties resulting from trauma.

Unlike traditional “talk therapy,” TF-CBT is a collaborative process that involves both the child and a non-offending caregiver. We recognize that for a child to heal, the family system must also feel supported and equipped to handle the complexities of trauma recovery.

The PRACTICE Framework: The Path to Recovery

To make the clinical process transparent, we use the PRACTICE acronym to guide our sessions. This ensures that we cover every necessary component of healing without overwhelming the child’s nervous system.

• P – Psychoeducation: Helping the child and parent understand that their reactions are a normal response to an abnormal event.
• R – Relaxation: Teaching concrete tools like deep breathing and grounding to manage the physical symptoms of trauma (the “racing heart” or “tummy aches”).
• A – Affective Expression: Helping the child identify and label their big feelings—moving them from “scary and nameless” to “manageable and known.”
• C – Cognitive Coping: Identifying the “trauma-stuck” thoughts (e.g., “It was my fault”) and gently replacing them with more accurate, helpful perspectives.
• T – Trauma Narrative: This is the heart of the work. We slowly help the child tell their story in a safe way, taking the “power” away from the memory so it no longer triggers a panic response.
• I – In-Vivo Mastery: Helping the child face reminders of the trauma in their daily life so they can stop living in a state of avoidance.
• C – Conjoint Sessions: Bringing the parent and child together to share the narrative and strengthen their bond.
• E – Enhancing Safety: Creating a concrete plan for the future, ensuring the child feels empowered and protected moving forward.

The Role of the “Safe Anchor” (The Caregiver)

In TF-CBT, the parent or caregiver is not just a bystander; you are a co-therapist. We know that trauma can be just as distressing for you as it is for your child.

• Processing Your Own Grief: We provide a space for you to process your own reactions to what your child has experienced, so your distress doesn’t unintentionally trigger theirs.
• Learning the Language of Trauma: We teach you how to respond when your child has a “trauma-related behavior” (like an outburst or a nightmare), moving from frustration to clinical curiosity.
• Strengthening the Connection: Trauma thrives in isolation. Our goal is to make your relationship the “safe harbor” where your child can finally drop their guard.

Why Specialized Trauma Therapy Matters

Unresolved childhood trauma can alter the developing brain, keeping the “alarm system” (the amygdala) on high alert well into adulthood. By intervening with TF-CBT, we are essentially “rewiring” the brain for resilience.