Redesigning trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for use in schools
Systematic Redesign of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to Enhance Usability, Engagement, Appropriateness, and Impact in Schools
This project will test whether a school-adapted version of TF-CBT is easier for school mental health providers to use and works as well as standard TF-CBT for students with trauma symptoms.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 102 (estimated) |
| Ages | 7 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Washington Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Seattle, Washington) |
| Trial ID | NCT06941428 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
Investigators will compare a locally redesigned, school-adapted TF-CBT (S-TF) to the original TF-CBT on usability, engagement, and appropriateness for school settings while keeping training and implementation supports constant. They will measure implementation outcomes (adoption, fidelity, adaptations, reach) among school-based providers and evaluate mechanisms (trauma cognitions, emotion regulation, avoidance) and student mental health outcomes. The trial includes a design/build phase with providers and students giving input followed by a test phase enrolling providers without prior TF-CBT training and students aged 7–19 with trauma exposure and elevated PTSD symptoms. The analysis includes noninferiority testing to confirm that the adapted intervention preserves core clinical effects while improving implementation metrics.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are school-attending youth aged 7–19 who have experienced trauma, show elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms, and receive school-based mental health services.
Not a fit: Students without trauma exposure or clinically elevated PTSD symptoms, non–English speakers, and those who do not receive services on school grounds are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the school-adapted TF-CBT could make trauma treatment easier to deliver in schools and reach more students without reducing symptom improvement.
How similar studies have performed: Standard TF-CBT has strong evidence for treating youth trauma, but formal, systematic adaptations for school settings have been less studied and remain preliminary.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
INCLUSION CRITERIA Discover, Design/Build Phase: * Providers. Providers will be included if they (a) deliver mental health treatment on school grounds; (b) English speaking. * Students. Youth participants will meet eligibility criteria for this study, including (a) be within the TF-CBT developmental range, ages 7-19; (b) are receiving, or have previously received, school mental health services; and (c) are English speaking. Test Phase: * Providers. Providers will be included if they (a) deliver mental health treatment on school grounds; (b) have not previously received formal training in TF-CBT; and (c) are English speaking * Students. Youth participants will meet eligibility criteria for this study, including (a) be within the TF-CBT developmental range, ages 7-19; (b) have traumatic event exposure (e.g., exposure to violence); (c) demonstrate significant post-traumatic stress symptoms (have a trauma history as defined as a score \>31 on the Child PTSD Symptoms Scale for DSM-V \[CPSS-V\]); and (d) are English speaking. EXCLUSION CRITERIA Discover, Design/Build Phase: \- Students with intellectual impairments documented in education or mental health records. Test Phase: * Providers. Providers will be excluded if they participated in the redesign process for TF-CBT. * Students. Students will be excluded if they (a) have intellectual impairments documented in education or mental health records and (2) are not trauma exposed.
Where this trial is running
Seattle, Washington
- University of Washington — Seattle, Washington, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Aaron Lyon, PhD — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Katie Osterhage
- Email: katieost@uw.edu
- Phone: 206-543-3350
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.