Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)
Overview
Focus
Specific Skills
- Decrease negative child behavior
- Increase positive child behavior
- Building teacher and parent skills
- Emotional awareness
- Social skills
Program Length
On average, 10 one-hour weekly sessions
Program Description
The CBITS program is a school-based, group, and individual intervention that uses cognitive-behavioral techniques. It is designed to reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and behavioral problems, as well as to improve functioning, grades and attendance, peer and parent support, and coping skills. CBITS has been used with students in grades 5–12 who have witnessed or experienced traumatic life events, such as community and school violence, accidents and injuries, physical abuse and domestic violence, and natural and human-made disasters.
Visit Program WebsiteCost
Electronic manual can be downloaded for free. $35 for a 1-year online subscription to the entire intervention. This includes all modules, materials, activities, and resources.
More Pricing DetailsDemographics & Delivery
Intended Population
- Intensified intervention
Grade
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- High School
Intended Group Size
- Individual
- Small group
ELL/DLL
- Full
Multisensory Applications
- Unspecified
Computer-Based Delivery
- None
Scripted
- Instructor Scripted
Program Specifics
Comprehensive or Skill Specific
- Comprehensive
Placement Tests
- No
Accelerated Learning
- Unspecified
Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery
- Unspecified
Error Correction Built In
- Unspecified
Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher
- Unspecified
Research & Evaluation
Research Summary
There has been extensive research on the CBITS program examining various populations of students who have experienced trauma and other stressful life events. Research has focused on examining students who are reporting high levels of PTSD symptomology and examines the impacts of the program on depression, PTSD, and other psycho-social factors impacting functioning. Results demonstrate that across populations, CBITS has successfully reduced symptoms of PTSD and depression, and has been found to improve additional psycho-social functioning.
Study Citations
Allison, A,C., & Ferreira, R.J. (2017). Implementing Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) with Latino Youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, vol. 34, no. 2 pp. 181–89, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0486-9.
Goodkind, J.R., LaNoue, M.D. & Milford, J. (2010). Adaptation and implementation of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools with American Indian youth. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 39(6): 858-872.
Jaycox, L. H., Cohen, J. A., Mannarino, A. P., Walker, D. W., Langley, A. K., Gegenheimer, K. L., et al. (2010). Children’s mental health care following Hurricane Katrina: A field trial of trauma-focused psychotherapies. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(2), 223-231.
Kataoka, S. H., Stein, B. D., Jaycox, L. H., Wong, M., Escudero, P., Tu, W., et al. (2003). A school-based mental health program for traumatized Latino immigrant children. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(3), 311-318.
Morsette, A., Swaney, G., Stolle, D., Schuldberg, D., van den Pol, R., & Young, M. (2009). Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS): School-based treatment on a rural American Indian reservation. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 40(1), 169-178.
Stein, B. D., Jaycox, L. H., Kataoka, S. H., Wong, M., Tu, W., Elliott, M. N., et al. (2003). A mental health intervention for schoolchildren exposed to violence: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 290(5), 603-611.
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)
- Evidence-based practice