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The Theiss Center for Child & Adolescent Trauma at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital aims to provide services to children ages 2 to 17 who have experienced trauma, along with their caregivers and/or families. We achieve this goal through the use of evidence-based practices, including:
Founded in 2012, the Theiss Center for Child & Adolescent Trauma was created as a Community Treatment and Services Center within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).
Congress created the NCTSN in 2000 as part of the Children’s Health Act to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. This unique network of frontline providers, family members, researchers, and national partners is committed to changing the course of children’s lives by improving their care and moving scientific gains quickly into practice across the United States. The NCTSN is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and coordinated by the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS).
Children and families can experience a variety of events and experiences that may result in traumatic stress, including:
Children experiencing traumatic stress may:
The Theiss Center’s Child and Adolescent Trauma Services Outpatient Program (CATS) provides comprehensive and developmentally appropriate diagnostic evaluations and effective, evidence-based treatment designed specifically for children and adolescents who have experienced a history of trauma. Assessment and treatment services are offered weekly and are specialized to address the effects of complex trauma and exposure to traumatic events such as abuse and neglect. The child and family/caregiver must be active participants in treatment sessions.
The CATS program accepts service referrals for children ages 2 to 17. We serve children who are experiencing a range of behavioral and emotional disruptions, such as aggression, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, disruptive behaviors, and emotional difficulties. CATS provides weekly outpatient services at our South Side, Pine Center, and Hosanna House sites.
All Theiss Center programs provide both assessment and treatment services. Licensed or license-eligible therapists complete comprehensive and age-appropriate evaluations to identify thoughtful treatment recommendations for the children served. The evidence-based trauma treatment services offered are proven effective for children and adolescents.
Evidence-based trauma treatments include:
Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) enhances a young child’s mental health by fostering reliance on primary caregivers for safety and protection, accurate feedback, and support in regulating positive and negative emotions. In CPP, the child-parent relationship is key, allowing clinicians to provide specific trauma interventions, as well as case management and service coordination support as needed.
Evidence shows CPP is effective in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as symptoms associated with exposure to complex trauma. Mothers of children who received CPP also showed significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents impacted by trauma and their parents or caregivers. It is a components-based treatment model that incorporates trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral, family, and humanistic principles and techniques.
TF-CBT has proved successful with children and adolescents (ages 3 to 18) who have significant emotional problems (such as symptoms of PTSD, fear, anxiety, or depression) related to traumatic life events. It can be used with children and adolescents who have experienced a single trauma or multiple traumas in their lives.
Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma (ITCT) is an evidence-based, multimodal therapy that blends treatment concepts from a variety of treatment concepts and models.
It was designed specifically for treating complex trauma in children and adolescents ages 8 to 17. Depending on the age and needs of the client, ITCT integrates a variety of treatment approaches, such as play therapy, verbal psychotherapy, emotional regulation skill development, and components of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Designed specifically for complex trauma, ITCT also focuses on social and cultural needs as part of the treatment approach, giving attention to the child's daily environment through language and culturally appropriate examples, thus adapting treatment to the child's cultural surroundings.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a family-centered treatment approach for children ages 2 to 7 with disruptive behavior. PCIT has also been used with abused and at-risk children ages 2 to 12.
PCIT has proved to be an effective therapy for all caregivers — birth parents, adoptive parents, or foster or kin caregivers. During PCIT, parents learn strategies that will enhance the parent-child relationship and promote positive behaviors in children.
Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a developmentally appropriate and play-based mental health treatment approach for children ages 3 to 10 who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioral, and relational disorders.
Through play, the therapeutic relationship is used to provide a safe, consistent environment in which children can process their emotions and experience full acceptance, empathy, and understanding.
Please call 412-383-1575 for more information.
