Disseminating Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with a Systematic Self-care Approach to Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress: PRACTICE What You Preach

This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) training programs augmented with a systematic “PRACTICE What You Preach” (PWYP) self-care focus, which has trainees personally utilize the coping skills they teach their clients. Participants were 115 clinicians/supervisors who completed a PWYP TF-CBT training program. Pre- to post-training analyses documented significant increases in participants’ competency and fidelity in implementing TF-CBT (ps '.001), significantly more frequent use of coping skills including instrumental social support (p '.01), active coping (p '.001), humor (p '.01), and restraint (p '.01), and significant decreases in secondary traumatic stress (STS; p '.001). Children’s symptoms of PTSD (ps '.001) and behavior problems (p '.05) also decreased significantly. This preliminary evidence suggests that training augmented with PWYP may enhance clinicians’/supervisors’ personal coping and reduce their levels of STS without compromising treatment implementation efforts and client outcomes.