Adapting a School-Based Trauma Intervention to Support Students: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) has been effective in alleviating symptoms of trauma among students exposed to trauma. Despite its effectiveness, many schools struggle to implement such interventions due to limited time resulting from the required core instructional demands. This pilot study assesses the effectiveness of CBITS sessions with modifications in time lengths and elimination of trauma exposure sessions. The current study uses a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the impact of CBITS for nine middle-school students who presented with symptoms of trauma. For ten weeks, these students participated in 20-minute sessions once a week. The BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) was used to conduct a pretest-posttest analysis. While post-test results were higher than pretest scores, they were not significant.  Qualitative analysis of the post-test interview questions suggested students had a positive change in their thought patterns, support systems, and coping strategies.