Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools

Domain II · Behavioural & cognitive · Jaycox, Langley, Hoover · 2004 · Los Angeles

What it is

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) is a manualised, school-based, cognitive-behavioural group programme for students with PTSD symptoms after trauma exposure. It was developed by RAND, UCLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), originally for…

Format

• Format
• Group sessions: 10, usually weekly, of about 45 minutes (one class period). The EPISCenter fact sheet says about one hour. Groups have 6 to 8 students of similar age; CEBC allows 6 to 10.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Clinician: a mental health professional with a master's or doctorate, trained in CBT, with trauma experience. Training is 2 days (about 12 hours) in person, a virtual course of four 3-hour modules, or a self-paced online course. Ongoing consultation is recommended. The certified trial used weekly supervision.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• See non-adherence in section 5.
• Gaps in understanding to target before graduation.
• Talking a child out of a valid safety concern. Never do this.
• Students jumping to an action without noticing the thought behind it.
• Ignoring real safety constraints. Combine with Plan of Attack (4.13).

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.