Table 1.
Sample clinical questions that inform treatment selection
Consideration | Question |
---|---|
Child | What is the age of the child? |
What is the developmental level of the child’s speech and language functioning? | |
What is the physical size of the child? | |
What types of symptoms (e.g., posttraumatic stress, emotional, behavioral, relationship) are present? Which are most impairing? | |
Did the symptoms start before or after the trauma? | |
Has the symptom presentation changed over time? How? | |
Can the child verbalize memories of the trauma? | |
Caregiver | Is there a supportive caregiver available to participate in treatment with the child? Who? |
Will an offending caregiver participate in treatment? | |
What is the primary concern of the caregiver(s)? | |
What is the level of impairment of the caregiver’s symptoms? Is the caregiver able to hear the child’s trauma? | |
Environmental | How stable is the child’s placement? |
What is the case plan goal? | |
How often does the child have visits with his or her biological parent(s)? What are these visits like? Does the child show symptoms before, during, and/or after these visits? | |
What other trauma treatments are being used in the family? |