Trauma Focused Coping (TFC), sometimes called Multimodality Trauma Treatment, is a school-based group intervention for children and adolescents in grades 4-12 who have been exposed to a traumatic stressor (e.g., disaster, violence, murder, suicide, fire, accident). The intervention targets posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and other trauma-related symptoms, including depression, anxiety, anger, and external locus of control.
TFC uses a skills-oriented, peer- and counselor-mediated, cognitive behavioral approach. The intervention is delivered in 14 weekly, 50-minute sessions, providing youth with gradual exposure to stimuli that remind them of their trauma. The sessions move from psychoeducation, anxiety management skill building, and cognitive coping training to activities involving trauma narratives and cognitive restructuring. Implementation of TFC requires a master’s-level clinician and should include a cofacilitating school counselor when administered in a school setting.