In a review in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, it was noted that children and adolescents who experience psychological harm caused by traumatic events are often treated by practitioners who are not aware of, and do not employ, treatments that are “based on the best available evidence.”
Meta-analyses were conducted on interventions that included cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in individual and group settings, play therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and others.
The traumas themselves covered a wide range and included sexual abuse, domestic violence, serious illness, and natural disasters. The CBT methods included exposure techniques, modification of inaccurate cognitions, reframing counterproductive cognitions regarding the trauma, and others.
Based on their analyses, the review authors concluded there was “strong evidence … that individual and group CBT can decrease psychological harm among symptomatic children and adolescents exposed to trauma.”
Review authors: H. R. Wethington, R. A. Hahn, D. S. Fuqua-Whitley, et al.