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Supporting children and young people who've experienced PTSD

Supporting children and young people who’ve experienced PTSD

Quick-read summary

New resources have been developed to explain the signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and young people, and how to support those experiencing PTSD.

The resources are based on research with children and young people, and mental health professionals.

The resources include a series of training videos for professionals, as well as an animation which aims to help young people to manage their mental health experiences and feelings.

Who is this information useful for?

Anyone who works with children and young people, mental health professionals, parents and carers, young people.

What is the issue?

At least one-third of children in the UK experience trauma before their 18th birthday. In some groups – including children with experience of being in the care system, or asylum seekers and refugees – these levels are even higher.

Sometimes, these experiences can lead to mental health difficulties, such as PTSD. PTSD can be very hard to live with and can impact all aspects of a young person’s life, including their relationships and schooling. With the right support, children and young people can overcome PTSD and move beyond the trauma.

How does this research help?

The resources are based on research and are free for all those who need them.

They aim to help mental health or other professionals to supplement their own expertise in treating PTSD.

They also aim to help young people who have experienced trauma to understand what they’re feeling and show them where they can get support.

The animations explain – through accessible and relatable scenarios – how it can be normal for young people to feel overwhelmed in the weeks following experiences in which they feel very frightened for their safety or the safety of someone else. But if these feelings continue and make life very hard, it might be PTSD.

They go on to outline the steps that young people can take to cope with very difficult memories of traumatic experiences, and how to reach out for professional support and what to expect from trauma-focused CBT.

The seven videos for mental health professionals are designed to supplement professional training and expertise in delivering cognitive therapy for PTSD. They provide additional support around key aspects of the intervention, such as developing a timeline, doing reliving work, building a narrative, and updating trauma memories.

Why is this work important?

  • The resources offer additional, evidence-based tools for supporting young people who have experienced PTSD.
  • The tools are online and free to access.
  • They have been developed with children and young people who have experienced PTSD.

What’s next?

The resources are free to access from the UK Trauma Council website, where you can also find out more about its work and its evidence-based resources to improve professionals and carers’ understanding of the nature and impact of trauma.

Access the resources

Get in touch about this research

This work has been supported by researchers from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria as part of a wider project into trauma-focussed behavioural therapies for children in care.

Find out more about the project, including who to contact.