Monitor on Psychology - September 2011 - (Page 68)

measures of psychopathology, while their mothers showed high levels of depression and anxiety. Children improved in both conditions, while the mothers in the trauma-based CBT treatment improved more than those who received clientcentered therapy, the team found. The findings suggest that trauma-focused CBT can be especially helpful for bereaved people having particularly strong trauma reactions, Goodman says. “They also underscore the importance of including caregivers in treatment planning every step of the way,” she says. Besides these specific techniques, clinicians treating children post-crisis should employ active listening, which can highlight misunderstandings children have about crisis events; keep children’s developmental stages in mind; and individualize interventions to a child’s gender, social supports, culture, religion, temperament and other specific factors, Goodman says. (See box for links to other evidence-based protocols.) • Foster “post-traumatic growth.” Traumas don’t have to be all bad: They can strengthen children as well, suggests work by University of North Carolina at Charlotte psychologists Richard G. Tedeschi, PhD, and Lawrence G. Calhoun, PhD. The two have coined the term “post-traumatic growth” to capture the phenomenon, and created an inventory that assesses people’s ability to discover new possibilities, better the following links provide resources to help psychologists, teachers, parents and others deal effectively with crises that affect children, including information on evidence-based practices and model curricula. • The APA Presidential Task Force on PTSD and Trauma in Children and Adolescents produced a number of tools for mental health professionals and policymakers that identify “what we know” and “what we need to know” regarding the development and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in youth. the resources present current knowledge and information, as well critical gaps in knowledge, about this important area: www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/task-force/child-trauma.aspx. • The National Association of School Psychologists’ “PREPaRE” curriculum guides teachers and school counselors in handling crises that affect school children: www.nasponline.org/prepare/index.aspx. • Researchers at the Rand Corporation and the Los Angeles Unified School District have developed a skills-based group intervention called Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for trauma in Schools, aimed at relieving symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and general anxiety in children exposed to trauma. It is in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s national registry of Evidence-Based Programs. Visit www.rand.org/health/projects/cbits.html. • The National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides resources for mental health and school personnel to help them prepare for and intervene in the face of crises, including evidence-based treatments for schools and a psychological first aid protocol that can be adapted for schools. visit www.nctsn.org. • The government website www.ready.gov provides resources to help people prepare for and deal with any natural or man-made crisis, including information and kits tailored for families, military personnel, older Americans, people with disabilities and pet owners. • the national Center for School Crisis and Bereavement provides information for school systems to support children in times of crisis and loss, including a teacher training module for understanding and supporting children after a death. visit www.cincinnatichildrens.org/school-crisis. • A free curriculum guide and related CD-ROM on childhood traumatic grief are available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA-4303. Also visit http://ctg.musc.edu/ for a free Web-based learning course on using trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for childhood traumatic grief. • the American red Cross is piloting a new course, “Coping in today’s world: Psychological first aid and resilience for families, friends and neighbors,” aimed at helping families in times of stress and building resilience. Also available is a course designed specifically for military families, “Coping with deployments: psychological first aid for military families.” For more information, contact your local red Cross chapter. In addition, the American red Cross provides extensive information about disaster preparedness and response at www.redcross.org. • “Listen, Protect, and Connect” is a series of psychological first aid resources to guide parents, teachers, and neighbors in helping children after a crisis. visit www.ready.gov or www.cphd.ucla.edu in the resources/ psychological first aid section. —T. DeANGELiS Tools to help traumatized children 68 Monitor on psychology • septeMber 2011 http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/task-force/child-trauma.aspx http://www.nasponline.org/prepare/index.aspx http://www.rand.org/health/projects/cbits.html http://www.nctsn.org http://www.ready.gov http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/school-crisis http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA-4303 http://ctg.musc.edu/ http://www.redcross.org http://www.ready.gov http://www.cphd.ucla.edu

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - September 2011

Monitor on Psychology - September 2011
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Supreme Court hears psychologists on prison and video game cases
Antipsychotics are overprescribed in nursing homes
New MCAT likely to recognize the mind-body connection
A $2 million boost for military and families
In Brief
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE
On Your Behalf
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
TIME CAPSULE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Speaking of Education
SCIENCE WATCH
An uncertain future for American workers
Advocating for psychotherapy
PRACTICE PROFILE
ETHICALLY SPEAKING
Seared in our memories
Helping kids cope in an uncertain world
APA and Nickelodeon team up
Muslims in America, post 9/11
Bin Laden’s death
‘They expect us to be there’
Answering the call of public policy
Candidates answer final questions
APA News
Division Spotlight
New leaders
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
Disaster relief training
Honoring teaching excellence
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - September 2011

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