Trauma Narrative — the “T” in PRACTICE
What is trauma narrative in TF-CBT?
The trauma narrative is the gradual, supported telling of what happened — through writing, drawing, or storytelling. Sharing the memory in small, manageable steps reduces its emotional charge over time and lets the therapist gently correct distorted beliefs, such as guilt or self-blame, that often follow trauma.
What this component is working toward
| Objective | How it works | Primary audience |
|---|---|---|
| Reduce avoidance of memories | Gradual, titrated recounting of the experience | Child |
| Correct distorted cognitions | Therapist-supported processing of beliefs like guilt | Child |
| Lower the emotional charge | Repeated, supported exposure over sessions | Clinician |
Bring trauma narrative to life
Original Skills for Children resources, created by an MSW to bring each TF-CBT skill to life and built on the model’s principles. These are not the official TF-CBT model and don’t replace clinical care — they’re current, practical tools to use alongside it.
♪ Song — “My Story, My Voice”
A child-friendly song from When Feelings Get Loud written for this component.
View access options ↗📖 Book chapter — Kiki the Koala
This component’s chapter in A Journey of Brave Friends, the Resilient Forest storybook.
View access options ↗Core model resources
Published by TF-CBT’s developers — tfcbt.org and TF-CBTWeb (MUSC).
The developers publish the model’s core training and materials for every component together. See the From the model developers section on the TF-CBT hub — including TF-CBTWeb training and the official At-A-Glance overview.
Resources for trauma narrative
Free materials from trusted national libraries and trauma centers (NCTSN, UW Harborview, NCA Engage). These organizations are independent of TF-CBT’s developers.
Telling the story of what happened is done slowly, at your child's pace, with a trained therapist — it is supported telling, not reliving. Over time the memory loses some of its power to frighten.
About trauma narrative
This page is an evidence-informed educational resource, not clinical advice or a substitute for treatment by a trained TF-CBT therapist. TF-CBT was developed by Cohen, Mannarino, and Deblinger. Resources are linked to their original publishers; Skills for Children does not host proprietary clinical materials. Resources curated by Joshua Fisherkeller, MSW.