Non trauma-focused CBT and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Insufficient evidence – there either hasn’t been any research on this treatment option or there is a small amount of evidence with unclear conclusions.
Non-trauma-focused CBT treatments could involve sessions for you, your parents or carers, or as a family. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy which looks at how your thoughts, feelings and behaviour affect one another and how making changes in your thoughts and/or behaviour can improve your mood. CBT aims to help you develop skills to cope with difficulties by changing the way you think about them.
Children and young people with symptoms of PTSD are more often offered trauma-focused CBT rather than general CBT, as trauma-focused CBT aims to support you with difficulties you might be experiencing specifically related to traumatic experiences.
Treatments outlined on these webpages may not be available in every local area. It’s important that you discuss with your GP or mental health professional the treatment options available to you. You can also search for services near you on our Youth Wellbeing Directory and find out more about referral processes here.