Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability affecting individuals across their entire lifespan. Autistic individuals have differences from nonautistic people (sometimes called allistic or neurotypical people) in social skills, communication, and atypical interests and/or repetitive behaviors. Approximately 1 in 59 children are born…

Therapeutic alliance and decreases in negative cognitions may play an important role in the outcomes of child trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. However, understanding alliance from multiple perspectives (i.e., therapist, parent, and child) and if changes in negative cognitions differ by type of delivery is limited. The current study…

Background: Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2018, to treat posttraumatic stress disorder in adults. There is a lack of research exploring the effectiveness of NET with adults with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this…

This study examined social workers' perceived use of theories and methods in practice through a questionnaire completed by social workers in New York City (N=105) followed by individual interviews (N=20). Social workers received approximately one to six courses on theory in their education that moderately influenced their current practice. The…

The authors present a case report for an adolescent student with a learning disability who has academic, behavioral, and intensive mental health needs. A therapeutic package to support and maintain student progress is discussed. The case report outlines specifically how the student's mental health needs were supported through the implementation of…

Learning flow is an optimal state of engaged learning and total immersion, which is conducive to many academic outcomes. Although studies have examined how learning flow emerges, few have focused on the early foundations of its development. Drawing on Life History Theory, this study examines whether and how childhood environment is related to…

Numerous efforts are underway to train clinicians in evidence-based practices. Unfortunately, the field has few practical measures of therapist adherence and skill with which to judge the success of these training and implementation efforts. One possible assessment method is using behavioral rehearsal, or role-play, as an analogue for therapist…

Racial disparities in violence exposure and criminal justice contact are a subject of growing policy and public concern. We conduct a large-scale, randomized controlled trial of a six-month behavioral health intervention combining intensive mentoring and group therapy designed to reduce criminal justice and violence involvement among Black and…

Traumatic events are becoming more prevalent in youth, especially considering the increase in disaster exposure, impacting the wellbeing and mental health of youth. Youth in rural communities are more adversely impacted due to a lack of access to available support and services. Interventions geared toward treating traumatic stress are needed for…

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a joint child and parent psychotherapy model for children experiencing significant emotional and behavioral difficulties due to traumatic life experiences. Treatment includes trauma-sensitive, family-based interventions focusing on cognitive behavioral patterns, which are the connections…

Children and adolescents ("youth") experiencing homelessness are at a disproportionately high risk of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTE). However, limited evidence exists as to what interventions are effective when implemented with this high-risk population. The purpose of this study was to (1) document the mental health and…

Virtual reality (VR) as a tool to build wellbeing for students with latent trauma is being examined in multiple contexts. The purpose of this study was to compare modalities of treatment, namely, VR-enhanced therapy, face-to-face therapy without VR and wait-list time-delayed control. Participants were 69 students selected from a high-needs urban…

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based intervention to treat post-traumatic stress disorder among youth ages 3-18 years old. In this pilot study, 31 clinicians in 13 urban public schools received TF-CBT training to improve access to high-quality trauma treatment for youth in need. A mixed methods design was used…

This study examines differential effects of the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program on behavioral and academic outcomes of middle school students. Researchers administered screenings to grade 6 students to assess traumatic stress and then randomized those with elevated levels to the CBITS treatment (n = 150; 47%…

Fear extinction-based exposure therapy is the most common behavioral therapy for anxiety and trauma-related disorders, but fear extinction memories are labile and fear tends to return even after successful extinction. The relapse of fear contributes to the poor long-term efficacy of exposure therapy. A single session of voluntary exercise can…