A community-based study of the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy with school-aged children in Toronto, Canada

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a widely used treatment model for trauma-exposed children and adolescents (Cohen, Mannarino, & Deblinger, 2006). In this study, a randomized, waitlist-control design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of TF-CBT with a community sample of trauma-exposed school-aged children (Muller & Di Paolo, 2008). A total of 113 children referred for clinical services and their caregivers completed the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (Briere, 1996) and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (Briere, 2005). Data were collected pre-waitlist, pre-assessment, pre-therapy, post-therapy, and six months following the end of therapy. Significant reductions in children's posttraumatic symptomatology from pre- to post-therapy support the effectiveness of TF-CBT in a diverse, Canadian metropolis. Clinical implications are discussed.