Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI)

CFTSI is a brief (5‐8 session), evidence‐based early intervention for children 7 to 18 years old that reduces traumatic stress reactions and the onset of PTSD. CFTSI is implemented within 30-45 days following a traumatic event or the disclosure of physical or sexual abuse. CFTSI is used successfully with children with extensive trauma histories. The goal of CFTSI is to decrease post-traumatic stress reactions and the onset of PTSD by increasing communication and family support.

CFTSI is an early intervention, secondary prevention treatment model that involves individual sessions with the child and caregiver and conjoint caregiver-child sessions. CFTSI is provided to children and adolescents who have experienced a Potentially Traumatic Event (PTE) within the past 30 days (including disclosure about prior sexual or physical abuse or other PTEs that have only recently been revealed).

CFTSI focuses on two key risk factors (poor social or familial support and poor coping skills in the aftermath of potentially traumatic events) with the primary goal of preventing the development of PTSD. CFTSI seeks to reduce these risks in two ways:

(1) by increasing communication between the affected child and his caregivers about feelings, symptoms, and behaviors, to increase the caregivers’ support of the child; and

(2) by teaching specific behavioral skills to both the caregiver and the child to enhance their ability to cope with traumatic stress reactions. Families who receive CFTSI are often psychosocially disadvantaged in multiple ways and have long-standing needs not directly related to the Potentially Traumatic Event (PTE) that brought them into care.

Case management and care coordination are essential aspects of CFTSI, based on the rationale that helping the family to access needed services, navigate medical care and legal proceedings, establish safety plans, coordinate with school personnel and other providers, etc., will both (1) reduce distractions, so that caregivers can dedicate more time and attention to their children in the aftermath of PTE, and (2) alleviate stressful burdens that often complicate caregivers’ posttraumatic adjustment. CFTSI practitioners also seek to learn about each family’s resources to facilitate the recruitment of maximum support during a time of greatest need and address barriers that directly impede access to CFTSI and other services. Depending on the nature of the issues and available resources within the clinical agency, the clinician can either include a Case Manager in the intervention or provide the case management by him or herself.

Goals of CFTSI:

Improve screening and identification of children impacted by traumatic stress
Reduce traumatic stress symptoms
Increase communication between caregiver and child about child’s traumatic stress reactions
Provide skills to help master trauma reactions
Assess child’s need for longer-term treatment
Reduce concrete external stressors. Clinical & Anecdotal Evidence

Watch a video on CFTSI here.

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