Which therapy is specifically trauma-focused and commonly used with children and adolescents?

• A. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety.
• B. Exposure-based therapy without trauma processing.
• C. Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT).
• D. Psychoanalytic therapy.

Answer: (C)

Trauma-focused treatment for youth is the main idea here. Trauma-Focused CBT combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with direct processing of the traumatic experience in a developmentally appropriate way. It isn’t just general anxiety work or a generic exposure approach; it specifically addresses how trauma affects thoughts, feelings, and behavior and helps the child and family process the event. Key elements include psychoeducation about trauma and its effects, skills for managing emotions and physiological arousal, gradual exposure to trauma memories and reminders, and a structured trauma narrative to help make sense of what happened. Importantly, caregivers are actively involved, learning how to support the child and create a safer environment, which strengthens the child’s progress.

Because it integrates trauma processing with practical coping and family involvement, TF-CBT is especially effective for children and adolescents who have experienced abuse, violence, accidents, or disasters, and it has strong, consistent research support showing reductions in PTSD symptoms as well as related emotional and behavioral issues. Other options may address anxiety in general or use exposure without processing the trauma, or rely on therapies that don’t focus on trauma in a structured, evidence-based way for young people, making them less well-suited to treating trauma symptoms in youth.