ABSTRACT
Childhood traumatic grief (CTG) has been described as a condition in which children whose loved ones die under traumatic circumstances develop trauma symptoms which impinge on the children's ability to progress through typical grief processes. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) CTG model is a phased treatment approach which includes both trauma- and grief-focused modules. The psychoeducation component of the CBT-CTG treatment begins at the first assessment, and continues throughout the course of therapy. Many parents of traumatically bereaved children react by foregoing typical discipline routines. In the earlier parts of CBT-CTG, cognitive processing does not focus on the traumatic death, but instead assists the child and parent in recognizing connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in everyday situations. Some children with CTG develop generalized trauma reminders and persistently avoid these reminders to a degree that interferes with their daily functioning.
