Program Description

An adaptation of Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), the Bounce Back program helps school-based clinicians work with children in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Like CBITS, the program is intended for students exposed to at least one traumatic event who are experiencing traumatic stress symptoms. Bounce Back incorporates games and activities that teach core skills for coping with and healing from traumatic events. These sessions are supplemented by individual child and child-caregiver sessions designed to help participants develop and share trauma narratives. Providers also reach out to classroom teachers to keep them informed about what is happening in the groups.

Cost

$35 for a 1-year subscription to the entire Bounce Back intervention, including all modules, materials, activities, and resources.

Intended Population

• Intensified intervention

Grade

• Elementary School

Intended Group Size

• Individual
• Small group

ELL/DLL

• Partial

Multisensory Applications

• Unspecified

Computer-Based Delivery

• None

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Comprehensive

Placement Tests

• No

Accelerated Learning

• No

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• Unspecified

Error Correction Built In

• No

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Unspecified

Research Summary

In three randomized controlled trials, participants who had experienced various traumatic life experiences and exposure to trauma were invited to participated in the Bounce Back intervention program. Participants were placed either in the immediate intervention group, or a waitlist group and received the intervention at a later time. Study Results found reduced levels of PTSD, depressive, and anxious symptomology, as well as additional emotional symptoms for those in the intervention groups.

Study Citations

Langley, A. K., Gonzalez, A., Sugar, C. A., Solis, D., & Jaycox, L. (2015). Bounce Back: Effectiveness of an elementary school-based intervention for multicultural children exposed to traumatic events. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(5), 853-865. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000051

Humphrey, N., & Panayiotou, M. (2022). Bounce Back: randomised trial of a brief, school-based group intervention for children with emergent mental health difficulties. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(1), 205–210. https://doi-org.libproxy.unl.edu/10.1007/s00787-020-01612-6

Santiago, C. D., Raviv, T., Ros, A. M., Brewer, S. K., Distel, L. M. L., Torres, S. A., Fuller, A. K., Lewis, K. M., Coyne, C. A., Cicchetti, C., & Langley, A. K. (2018). Implementing the Bounce Back trauma intervention in urban elementary schools: A real-world replication trial. School Psychology Quarterly, 33(1), 1–9. https://doi-org.libproxy.unl.edu/10.1037/spq0000229

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Evidence-based practice

Additional Reviews

• https://www.cebc4cw.org/program/bounce-back/detailed