Innovations in Practice: Preliminary evidence for effective family engagement in treatment for child traumatic stresstrauma systems therapy approach to preventing dropout

Background: This study aimed to obtain preliminary evidence for the extent to which a novel intervention embedded within a systems-oriented treatment model [trauma systems therapy (TST)] engages and retains traumatized children and their families in treatment. Method: Twenty youth who had prominent symptoms of posttraumatic stress were randomly assigned to receive TST or care as usual (CAU). Results: At the 3-month assessment, 90% of TST participants were still in treatment, whereas only 10% of CAU participants remained. Within-group analyses of TST participants demonstrated significant reductions in posttraumatic stress and aggression as well as a slight improvement in home safety. Conclusions: These preliminary findings point to the need to utilize effective engagement approaches to retain traumatized children and their families in treatment.