Trauma Systems Therapy for Children and Teens

For too many traumatised children and their families, chronic stressors such as poverty, substance abuse, and family or community violence-; coupled with an overburdened care system; impose seemingly insurmountable barriers to treatment. This highly practical and empowering book provides a user-friendly blueprint for making the most of limited resources to support children and families struggling with chronic, multiple adversities.

Trauma systems therapy (TST) is grounded in cutting-edge research on traumatic stress and child development. It provides a roadmap for integrating individualised treatment with services at the home, school, and community levels. It has been recognised as a treatment of choice by US state mental health agencies nation-wide.

Written in an accessible, modular format with ffective, step-by-step assessment and intervention strategies accompanied by vivid case material and reproducible worksheets and forms. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

New to This Edition

• Restructured to reflect significant conceptual and clinical advances.
• Even more clinician friendly: increased emphasis on practical aspects of assessment and treatment.
• Chapter on organisational planning.
• Chapters on TST innovations, including applications for diverse trauma populations and for problems other than trauma.
• More reproducible clinical tools—now downloadable.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to TST

I. Foundations

2. Survival Circuits
3. The Regulation of Survival-in-the-Moment States
4. The Social Environment and the Services System
5. Safety Signals

II. Getting Started

6. Ten Treatment Principles
7. The Treatment Team
8. Organizing Your Program

III. Doing TST

9. Assessment
10. Treatment Planning
11. Ready Set Go
12. Safety-Focused Treatment
13. Regulation-Focused Treatment
14. Beyond Trauma Treatment
15. Psychopharmacology

IV. Improving TST

16. Democratizing TST
17. Extending TST Beyond Trauma
18. Conclusions

"The second edition of this important book reflects the essence of what it takes to provide excellent trauma treatment. Everything in this volume makes complete sense, especially with regard to understanding and assessing the traumatized child's survival-in-the-moment states. Recommendations for planning treatment and integrating services are clear and concise. Readers will find this a valuable resource for developing comprehensive services for children and families exposed to traumatic life events."
- Anthony P. Mannarino, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny General Hospital and Drexel University College of Medicine

"A marvelous, practical, integrative guide for all those who work to help traumatized kids. Based on a thorough understanding of the underlying biological, social, and attachment issues, this book confronts the realities of children's and families' lives and the awesome obstacles that providers face. TST offers a comprehensive way to deliver effective services and reorganize often-broken systems of care. This approach not only will facilitate healing, but also will help prevent practitioner burnout and the wasteful use of resources. I love the energy behind this work!"
- Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, Medical Director, The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute; Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine

"Building on the strengths of their first edition, the authors have incorporated innovations from successful adopters of TST. This treatment model tackles multiple real-world challenges to thoroughly assess traumatized children and their families and social environments. Interventions targeting both the impact of trauma and the barriers to care in the environment take into consideration key principles of neurobiology, child development, and family systems, as well as the evidence base for treating child traumatic stress. The book includes a full set of therapeutic activities and reproducible assessment tools and worksheets. The new chapter on organizational planning and implementation facilitates adoption of this unique model of integrated care."
- Lisa Amaya-Jackson, MD, MPH, UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, Duke University School of Medicine

"Building on the strengths of their first edition, the authors have incorporated innovations from successful adopters of TST. This treatment model tackles multiple real-world challenges to thoroughly assess traumatized children and their families and social environments. Interventions targeting both the impact of trauma and the barriers to care in the environment take into consideration key principles of neurobiology, child development, and family systems, as well as the evidence base for treating child traumatic stress. The book includes a full set of therapeutic activities and reproducible assessment tools and worksheets. The new chapter on organizational planning and implementation facilitates adoption of this unique model of integrated care."
- Lisa Amaya-Jackson, MD, MPH, UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, Duke University School of Medicine