Online Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) from just $35/session with licensed therapists (PhD, PsyD, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT) trained in this evidence-based trauma-focused therapy online. At Grouport, we offer online individual therapy, online group therapy, teen therapy, family therapy, and virtual IOP options. TF-CBT is the gold-standard trauma-focused CBT for teens and children, recommended as a first-line intervention by international clinical guidelines.
When a child experiences trauma, the effects can ripple through every part of their life: sleep, school, friendships, behavior, and the parent-child relationship. TF-CBT was developed by Judith Cohen, Anthony Mannarino, and Esther Deblinger specifically for young people ages 3 to 21 who have experienced trauma. What makes TF-CBT unique is that it includes the caregiver as an active participant in the healing process. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials with 4,523 participants found TF-CBT produced large improvements in PTSD symptoms and was superior to all control conditions including waitlist, treatment as usual, and active treatments. A Lancet individual participant data meta-analysis confirmed TF-CBT as a first-line treatment regardless of age, gender, or trauma type. Schedule a free call to learn if TF-CBT is right for your child.
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Consistently Recognized as the #1 Online Therapy pick
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At Grouport, we offer multiple ways to access trauma-focused CBT online, all led by licensed clinicians trained in the PRACTICE protocol. Whether your child needs individual sessions with parallel caregiver involvement, group therapy with peers who understand, or a more intensive program, our TF-CBT-informed offerings are designed to support both your child and your family. Many families combine formats for comprehensive support.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy was developed by Judith Cohen, Anthony Mannarino, and Esther Deblinger specifically for children and adolescents (ages 3 to 21) who have experienced one or more traumatic events. Unlike general CBT, TF-CBT is a structured protocol designed around the unique needs of young trauma survivors, and it actively includes caregivers as partners in the healing process.
TF-CBT follows the PRACTICE model: Psychoeducation, Relaxation, Affective modulation, Cognitive coping, Trauma narrative and processing, In vivo mastery of trauma reminders, Conjoint caregiver-child sessions, and Enhancing safety and future development. Each component builds on the last, gradually equipping your child with the skills they need before they process the trauma directly. Parallel caregiver sessions ensure you learn the same skills and are prepared to support your child throughout.
The evidence for TF-CBT is extensive. A meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials with 4,523 participants found large improvements across all outcomes and TF-CBT was superior to all control conditions including waitlist, treatment as usual, and active treatments. At 12-month follow-up, treatment effects were maintained and even larger. A Lancet individual participant data meta-analysis of 25 studies with 1,686 youth confirmed TF-CBT as a first-line treatment regardless of age, gender, or trauma type. The Cochrane Collaboration concluded that CBT including TF-CBT was the only therapy with evidence for pediatric PTSD.
Trauma affects every part of a young person's world. TF-CBT addresses each area systematically, helping your child reclaim the childhood or adolescence they deserve.
Intrusive memories, nightmares, and flashbacks are hallmarks of childhood PTSD. TF-CBT's trauma narrative component helps your child process these memories so they become less vivid, less distressing, and less intrusive. The relaxation and affective modulation skills give your child tools to manage distress when trauma reminders do arise.
Trauma often damages the relationship between parent and child, sometimes through the trauma itself, sometimes through the behavioral changes that follow. TF-CBT's parallel caregiver sessions and conjoint sessions are specifically designed to repair this bond: you learn to understand your child's behavior through a trauma lens, respond with confidence, and rebuild trust together.
Trauma can cause difficulty concentrating, emotional outbursts, withdrawal from friends, and declining grades. As your child develops coping skills and processes their trauma, these functional impairments improve. Research shows TF-CBT produces significant improvements in anxiety, depression, and overall functioning alongside PTSD symptoms.
Trauma leaves children and teens with emotions that feel uncontrollable: sudden rage, overwhelming fear, deep sadness, or emotional numbness. TF-CBT's affective modulation component teaches your child concrete skills for identifying, expressing, and regulating these emotions. These are lifelong skills that serve them well beyond trauma recovery.
When trauma involves the death of a loved one, children face the double burden of grief and trauma. TF-CBT includes specific components for traumatic grief that help your child separate the traumatic aspects of the death from the grief itself, allowing them to mourn in a healthy way while processing the traumatic elements.
TF-CBT's final component focuses on enhancing safety and future development. Your child learns to identify unsafe situations, develop safety plans, and build the confidence to navigate the world with age-appropriate independence. This is especially critical for children who have experienced abuse, as it empowers them with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves going forward.
TF-CBT follows a structured protocol with three distinct phases. Your child and you as the caregiver both participate throughout.
The first phase builds the foundation. Your child learns about trauma reactions (Psychoeducation), calming techniques (Relaxation), how to identify and manage emotions (Affective modulation), and how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect (Cognitive coping). You learn the same skills in parallel caregiver sessions, plus parenting strategies specific to trauma. This phase ensures your child has the tools they need before they begin processing the trauma directly.
In the second phase, your child creates their Trauma narrative: a gradual, supported account of what happened to them. This is not re-traumatizing. The therapist carefully guides the process, using the coping skills from Phase 1 to keep your child within their window of tolerance. Cognitive processing helps your child identify and correct unhelpful thoughts (like self-blame) about the trauma. In vivo mastery helps your child face trauma reminders they have been avoiding, building confidence in real-world situations.
The final phase brings parent and child together. In Conjoint sessions, your child shares their trauma narrative with you while the therapist supports both of you. This is often the most powerful part of treatment: it breaks the silence, strengthens your bond, and lets your child see that you can handle their story. The Enhancing safety component teaches your child skills for identifying and responding to unsafe situations, building resilience for the future.
See how our therapy options have helped our members experience life-changing results
Stephanie
“Grouport is time flexible and affordable and if it didn’t exist, I don’t know where I would go. I had looked into other places before Grouport and there really wasn’t any option like it.”
Michael
“I highly recommend this to anyone who is struggling with anxiety or depression. The therapists are top notch and have made me feel really comfortable and my anxiety has improved tremendously in only a few sessions!”
Isabel
"I joined Grouport to work on myself and to heal. I’m learning so much at every session! The change I see not only in myself but in my fellow group members is abundantly encouraging and profoundly fulfilling. Group therapy with Grouport is a powerful healing tool."
Sheldon
“I was feeling very down at the end of 2020 and I was ready to do something drastic that I know I'd likely regret. The group definitely helped show me that there are people who feel the same way as I do.”
Nancy
“The therapy from Grouport is high quality and convenient. I am becoming much more self aware and am liking myself more. My relationships at work are better and I’m much happier.”
Emily
“I like the connection you can make with total strangers and the confidentiality it comes with.”
Danielle
"Grouport can help you with your issues. Their therapists are well trained to work with you on your issues. I felt my anxiety greatly improve after only a few sessions. I highly recommend it!"
Glenn
"Grouport's approach to DBT is a real strength. This approach provides tools and methods for working with difficult emotions and getting a handle on them. It has given me hope where other approaches have failed."
TF-CBT was originally developed for children who experienced sexual abuse but has been extensively researched and validated across a wide range of trauma types.
TF-CBT was originally developed for children who experienced sexual abuse, and this remains its strongest evidence base. Five of the original randomized controlled trials focused exclusively on sexually abused children. TF-CBT addresses not only PTSD symptoms but also the shame, self-blame, and confusion that often accompany childhood sexual abuse, while helping caregivers respond supportively.
Research confirms TF-CBT is effective for children who have experienced physical abuse and exposure to domestic violence. A systematic review found positive effects on PTSD symptoms, anxiety, strengths, and functional impairment specifically for non-sexual abuse related child maltreatment including physical abuse and domestic violence exposure.
Many children experience multiple types of trauma. A systematic review found TF-CBT to be a "probably efficacious intervention" for reducing PTSD symptoms among youth with complex trauma histories. The PRACTICE protocol's structured, gradual approach is especially well-suited for complex trauma, building coping skills before addressing multiple traumatic experiences.
When a child's grief is complicated by traumatic circumstances surrounding the death (violence, sudden loss, witnessing the death), TF-CBT includes specific grief-focused components. The meta-analysis found large improvements in grief symptoms alongside PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
TF-CBT has been successfully used with children affected by natural disasters (including Hurricane Katrina) and community violence. Both individual and group formats have shown effectiveness, making TF-CBT adaptable to situations where many children in a community are affected simultaneously.
TF-CBT has been studied internationally with children exposed to war, armed conflict, and sexual exploitation in conflict zones. Research in countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia demonstrates TF-CBT's effectiveness across diverse cultural contexts, supporting its use as a globally applicable trauma treatment for children.
Every Grouport therapist is a licensed, accredited mental health professional with specialized training in evidence-based approaches including trauma-focused CBT, and extensive clinical experience in child and adolescent trauma, PTSD, sexual abuse recovery, domestic violence exposure, traumatic grief, and complex trauma.
Our therapists typically have over a decade of clinical experience across diverse settings, with specialized expertise in TF-CBT, trauma-informed, and child-focused approaches, as well as PTSD, anxiety, depression, traumatic grief, and behavioral difficulties. Our therapists are trained in Trauma-Focused CBT and other proven modalities to provide the best fit for your needs.
We continually evaluate outcomes through internal studies and outcomes studies with researchers from leading universities such as Carnegie Mellon, University of Essex, and University of Cologne.
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a healthier future starts right here
80%of our members start with moderate to severe mental health symptoms
70% of our members feel significantly better within just 8 weeks
50% of our members achieve remission levels within just 8 weeks
80%
of our members start with moderate to severe mental health symptoms
70%
of our members feel significantly better within just 8 weeks
50%
of our members achieve remission levels within just 8 weeks
Group, individual, couples, family, IOP, and teen therapy - all online, all therapist-led. Mix and match care options to fit your needs , and get discounted pricing when you bundle.
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Online trauma-focused CBT helps children and teens heal from trauma through a structured, caregiver-inclusive protocol. Our licensed trauma-focused CBT therapists also treat a wide range of conditions using proven methods.
Whether your child is struggling with nightmares, flashbacks, behavioral changes, anxiety, or the emotional aftermath of abuse, violence, or loss, Trauma-Focused CBT can help them process what happened and build a path forward. With licensed therapists trained in TF-CBT, the strongest evidence base of any child trauma treatment, and flexible online formats, Grouport makes it easy to get your family the help you need. Take the first step toward your child's healing today.
