Bounce Back

A Group Intervention for Elementary-Age Children Exposed to Traumatic Events

The Bounce Back model is an adaptation of the CBITS model (Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools). Bounce Back is a cognitive-behavioral, skills-based, group intervention aimed at relieving symptoms of child traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and functional impairment among elementary school children (ages 5-11) who have been exposed to traumatic events.

Bounce Back is used most commonly for children who have experienced or witnessed community, family, or school violence, or who have been involved in natural disasters, accidents, physical abuse, neglect, or traumatic separation from a loved one due to death, incarceration, deportation, or child welfare detainment.

Bounce Back is a 10-session group where children learn and practice feelings identification, relaxation, problem solving and conflict resolution skills, while building positive associations and social supports. It also includes 2-3 individual sessions in which children complete a brief trauma narrative to process their traumatic memory and/or grief and share it with a caregiver.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a trauma-focused intervention for youth (ages 3 to 18) who are experiencing symptoms directly related to a traumatic event or events and their non-offending caregiver. It targets post-traumatic stress, depressive and behavioral symptoms.

The average length of treatment is eight to 25 weekly, 60- to 90-minute sessions. Maximum benefits are seen when the youth’s primary caregiver is actively involved in treatment. TF-CBT has been successfully delivered in diverse settings, such as clinics, in-home, residential treatment facilities, schools and juvenile detention facilities.

Service Delivery

Bounce Back is a group intervention with some individual sessions delivered in school settings.

Training Requirements

Bounce Back Learning Collaboratives train teams of clinicians who provide services in schools. Our model relies on clinicians training together with an administrative leader from their agency to ensure successful implementation and sustainability.

Bounce Back Learning Collaboratives include 2 days of face-to-face training and at least 8 monthly group consultation calls. Clinicians will run two Bounce Back groups over the course of the Learning Collaborative.

NC CTP will offer 1 cohort per year in Bounce Back. Training cohorts are 9 months long during the academic calendar and consist of face-to-face learning sessions and faculty consultation.

Team Requirements

Bounce Back groups are usually led by 2 trained clinicians. Agency teams are led by 1 or more Senior Leaders.

Clinicians are responsible for leading Bounce Back groups. Bounce Back clinicians must hold a Master’s or PhD degree in mental health or allied field; be committed to timely and ongoing client identification and documentation; and attend all in-person learning sessions and participate in monthly group consultation calls.

Senior Leaders are responsible for supporting and overseeing Bounce Back implementation, as well as for attending all face-to-face learning sessions and participating in monthly, 30-minute senior leader calls. Senior Leaders must have the authority to make decisions within the organization regarding time and resources.

Who Should Apply?

Applicants are encouraged to apply as part of a team, which can bolster clinical implementation and model sustainability efforts both during and after the training period.

When reviewing applications, preference will be given to committed teams with a highly supportive Senior Leader.

View Trainings