Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychology & Counseling, Pediatrics, Child, Psychiatry & Mental Health, Child Psychology, Pathologies, Social Work, Psychiatric, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychopathology 

This book is a versatile manual for treating traumatic stress in youth using a model called Trauma Systems Therapy (TST). The authors define a trauma system as (1) a traumatized child who cannot regulate their emotions and (2) a social environment or system of care that cannot adequately help the child learn to regulate emotions, and they see intervening in the child’s social environment as an essential part of treatment. They intend this book as a guide for practicing TST while acknowledging the reality that most social service providers are over-stretched and underfunded. Part 1 contains the theoretical underpinnings of TST, including child development neurology, the psychology of emotional stress, social ecology, and the importance of the therapeutic relationship. Part 2 contains practical tips for the implementation of TST – assessing a child’s needs, planning a child’s treatment, and assembling a treatment team. Part 3 provides guidelines for implementing different types of TST interventions, which include stabilizing the social environment, legal advocacy, psychopharmacology, and the teaching of emotional regulation skills, cognitive processing skills, and meaning-making.