Journal article
Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Telehealth Service Delivery Model for Treating Childhood Posttraumatic Stress: A Community-Based, Open Pilot Trial of Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY INTEGRATION, v 30(2), pp 274-289
Jun 2020
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Telepsychotherapy (also referred to as telehealth or telemental health), the use of videoconferencing to deliver psychotherapy services, offers an innovative way to address significant gaps in access to care and is being used to deliver a variety of treatments for youth. Although recent research has supported the effectiveness of telehealth delivery of a variety of interventions for children, the literature has focused very little on childhood posttraumatic stress disorder. This pilot study examined the feasibility and potential effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive- behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) delivered via telepsychotherapy in community-based locations of either schools or patient homes. Telepsychotherapy treatment was delivered to 70 traumaexposed youth in 7 underserved communities. Of these, 88.6% completed a full course of TF-CBT and 96.8% of these treatment completers no longer met diagnostic criteria for a trauma-related disorder at posttreatment. Results demonstrated clinically meaningful symptom change posttreatment, with large effect sizes evident for both youthand caregiver-reported reduction in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. The results observed in this pilot evaluation are promising and provide preliminary evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of this novel treatment format. The COVID-19 global pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented need to rethink how mental health services are delivered, which is particularly applicable to high base rate conditions related to posttraumatic stress. Given the existing network of nationally certified TF-CBT therapists, and many international TF-CBT therapists, these findings suggest the potential for providing effective and accessible telepsychotherapy intervention during this public health crisis (as well as those that will occur in the future).
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Details
- Title
- Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Telehealth Service Delivery Model for Treating Childhood Posttraumatic Stress: A Community-Based, Open Pilot Trial of Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Publication Details
- JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY INTEGRATION, v 30(2), pp 274-289
- Publisher
- EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING FOUNDATION-AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC; WASHINGTON
- Number of pages
- 0
- Grant note
- This work was supported by a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Child Traumatic Stress Network Grant (1U79SM063224). The funding agency had no role in the study design; collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; writing of the manuscript; or the decision to submit this article for publication. We thank all of the psychology interns and postdoctoral fellows who saw patients through the Telehealth Outreach Program. We also thank the schools who participated. Together, we can change the world.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000538578500010
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85087130892
- Other Identifier
- 991021860681704721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Clinical