Resource Guide for Mental Health Professionals | Patient Centered Care and Trauma Informed Care for Pediatric Patients

Mental Health Professionals

Many mental health professionals are knowledgeable about child trauma and traumatic stress related to child abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence. For mental health professionals treating children and families facing pediatric illness or injury, it can be helpful to become more familiar with:

specific aspects of their patient's illness or injury, including typical treatment course and patient/family experiences, and
the ways in which traumatic stress reactions can interact with ongoing health concerns and medical care.

Mental health professionals may also benefit from consultation as they gain experience collaborating with healthcare providers and health systems.

Medical trauma has some distinct characteristics that may have implications for psychosocial intervention. Children who are ill or injured may have experienced:

Acute or ongoing pain
Painful / distressing procedures
Frightening treatment experiences
Uncertainty and helplessness about symptoms and course of treatment
Subjective or objective sense of life threat
Sedation and loss of consciousness
Separation and isolation from parents or family members
Exposure to sickness, injuries, or death of others
Temporary or long-term changes in their physical appearance
Ongoing physical and health consequences

The mental health professional's role in trauma-informed pediatric health care

Psychosocial professionals who work directly within a healthcare setting, or who form collaborative working relationships with healthcare professionals, can help to educate the healthcare team about trauma-informed care and consulting on specific cases to help plan care. In this role, it is critical to not add tasks for busy medical professionals, but rather to support the integration of trauma-informed principles within current practice and procedures.

Mental health professionals can also have a key role in determining the appropriate level and timing of psychosocial support and care for ill and injured children. This includes:

Assisting the healthcare team in interpreting the results of universal screening for pediatric medical traumatic stress
Conducting a more comprehensive assessment of medical traumatic stress and related mental health / behavioral concerns when needed

Our downloadable patient education handouts and workbooks were created to help parents and their children cope with injury, illness, and medical treatment. Download pdfs for free at these links, or contact the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress for information on ordering print copies for your setting.

Psychosocial interventions to address medical traumatic stress

There are a limited number of psychosocial interventions designed specifically to address traumatic stress in children and families related to pediatric medical experiences. The following have demonstrated evidence of effectiveness (see Key Research Findings).

The Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention Program - Newly Diagnosed (SCCIP-ND) is a three-session manualized intervention for parents/caregivers of children newly diagnosed with cancer.
The Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention Program (SCCIP) is a one-day, multi-family group intervention for adolescent cancer survivors and their parents and siblings.
PROMOMS for Preemies is a brief manualized intervention for mothers of preterm infants admitted to the NICU that aims to prevent maternal traumatic stress reactions.
A two-session targeted CBT-based intervention for parents and young children (age 1 to 6) after accidental injury aims to prevent persistent traumatic stress among children at higher risk.

Effective treatments that are designed to address child traumatic stress symptoms more generally are likely to be applicable for many ill or injured children.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is likely to be useful for ill or injured children who have persistent traumatic stress symptoms.

The Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) is a brief parent-child intervention delivered in the aftermath of potentially traumatic events with the primary goal of preventing the development of PTSD.

Download free resource for mental health professionals

Whether working as a consultant to the child’s health care team or seeing children in the context of their own practice, mental health professionals working with ill or injured children and their families need an understanding of pediatric medical traumatic stress and the available interventions and resources.

Based on the most recent research, Working with Children and Families Experiencing Medical Traumatic Stress: A Resource Guide for Psychosocial Professionals is designed to help psychosocial professionals who are working with children and families impacted by illness or injury. This guide was recently updated in 2024.

Cover page of Resource Guide for Psychosocial Professionals

This resource for professionals who are familiar with trauma-focused treatment provides

an overview of pediatric medical traumatic stress (PMTS),
resources to share with medical colleagues (physicians, nurses, physician assistants),
psychosocial screening and assessment resources,
intervention resources and materials.

Download Working with Children and Families Experiencing Medical Traumatic Stress: A Resource Guide for Psychosocial Professionals to learn about pediatric medical traumatic stress and improve mental health care for ill or injured pediatric patients and families.

Download this file for a version if the guide that can be easily stapled into a booklet.

In addition to several of our online courses that are applicable for mental health professionals, a recording of our webinar "How to Support Families Coping with Medical Trauma: An Introduction for Mental Health Providers" has been published as an online course and is available for APA credit.

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