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Complex Histories and Complex Presentations: Implementation of a Manually-Guided Group Treatment for Traumatized Adolescents

  • TREATMENT MODELS FOR TRAUMATIZED YOUTH IN RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT SETTINGS: EMERGING EVIDENCE BASE
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Abstract

It is consistently recognized that children and adolescents who have repeatedly experienced or witnessed violence are at significant risk for a multitude of lasting difficulties across many domains of functioning. Adolescents in residential settings often have extensive trauma histories and experience profound behavioral, emotional, and interpersonal difficulties. Unfortunately, there are few structured trauma-informed treatments that have been implemented in residential settings, and even fewer that have been evaluated. This article describes the core components of Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS), a manually-guided trauma-informed group treatment, and provides clinical examples within residential facilities for adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties and extensive victimization histories. Preliminary data on self-reported emotional, behavioral, and posttraumatic stress symptoms are presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Adelphi University, 1 South Ave, Garden City, 11530, NY, USA

    Mandy Habib & Victor Labruna

  2. North Shore - Long Island Jewish Health System and Hofstra North Shore - LIJ School of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Jennifer Newman

Authors
  1. Mandy Habib
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  2. Victor Labruna
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  3. Jennifer Newman
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Correspondence to Mandy Habib.

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Author Note

The authors wish to acknowledge members of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the numerous skilled and dedicated colleagues with whom we have the privilege to work, for sharing their valuable insights and anecdotes regarding their experience working with adolescents in residential settings. In particular, we would like to thank Angel Knoverek and Thomas Donavan for their thoughtful and creative implementation of SPARCS in their work with severely traumatized youth in residential settings.

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Habib, M., Labruna, V. & Newman, J. Complex Histories and Complex Presentations: Implementation of a Manually-Guided Group Treatment for Traumatized Adolescents. J Fam Viol 28, 717–728 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-013-9532-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-013-9532-y

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