Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) supervision in PRACTICE: Component-based framework, vignettes, and cultural considerations
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Publiée
2025-12-30
Yahaira I. Márquez
Kristine Hodshon
Gilda Rodríguez-Díaz
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9205-8012
Résumé
Supervision in psychotherapy provides a professional space for supervisees to reflect on their work, improve clinical practice, and enhance services to clients. Research has documented the essential role of supervision in implementing and sustaining evidence-based treatments (EBTs) in community mental health. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is a well-established EBT for children and their non-offending caregivers impacted by trauma, yet there remains limited guidance on TF-CBT–specific supervision. Supervisors must maintain fidelity to the model, attend to contextual and cultural considerations, and support therapists in metabolizing trauma-specific clinical material. Drawing on over three decades of clinical and supervisory experience, we propose a component-based framework for TF-CBT supervision. We provide practical recommendations and illustrative vignettes that demonstrate supervisory strategies aligned with each TF-CBT component. These are designed to highlight supervisory possibilities rather than prescribe fixed scripts. With this framework, our goal is to support supervisors in enhancing clinical fidelity, sustaining implementation, and fostering cultural responsiveness in diverse practice settings.
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Keywords
References
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Alfonsson, S., Parling, T., Spännargård, Å., Andersson, G., & Lundgren, T. (2018). The effects of clinical supervision on supervisees and patients in cognitive behavioral therapy: A systematic review. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 47(3), 206–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2017.1369559
Amaya-Jackson, L., Hagele, D., Sideris, J., Potter, D., Briggs, E. C., Keen, L., Murphy, R. A., Dorsey, S., Patchett, V., Ake, G. S., & Socolar, R. (2018). Pilot to policy: Statewide dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatment for traumatized youth. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 589. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3395-0
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2023). Approved supervision designation: Standards handbook. AAMFT.
American Psychological Association. (2014). Guidelines for clinical supervision in health service psychology. http://apa.org/about/policy/guidelines-supervision.pdf
Bernal, G., & Domenech Rodríguez, M. M. (2012). Cultural adaptation in context: Psychotherapy as a historical account of adaptations. In G. Bernal & M. M. Domenech Rodríguez (Eds.), Cultural adaptations: Tools for evidence-based practice with diverse populations (pp. 1–22). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13752-001
Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (1993). A treatment model for sexually abused preschoolers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(1), 115-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626093008001009
Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (1996). A treatment outcome study for sexually abused preschool children: Initial findings. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(1), 42–50.
https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199601000-00011
Cohen, J. A., Deblinger, E., & Mannarino, A. P. (2018). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and families. Psychotherapy Research, 28(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2016.1208375
Cohen, J. A., Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., & Steer, R. A. (2004). A multisite, randomized controlled trial for children with sexual abuse-related PTSD symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43(4), 393–402. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200404000-00005
Cohen, J. A., Mannarino, A. P., & Kinnish, K. (2017). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for commercially sexually exploited youth. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 10(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-015-0073-9
Creed, T. A., Kuo, P. B., Oziel, R., Reich, D., Thomas, M., O’Connor, S., Imel, Z. E., Hirsch, T., Narayanan, S., & Atkins, D. C. (2022). Knowledge and attitudes toward an artificial intelligence-based fidelity measurement in community cognitive behavioral therapy supervision. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 49(3), 343–356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-021-01167-x
Cummings, J. A., Ballantyne, E. C., & Scallion, L. M. (2015). Essential processes for cognitive behavioral clinical supervision: Agenda setting, problem-solving, and formative feedback. Psychotherapy, 52(2), 158–163. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038712
Deblinger, E., Lippmann, J., & Steer, R. A. (1996). Sexually abused children suffering posttraumatic stress symptoms: Initial treatment outcome findings. Child Maltreatment, 1(4), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559596001004003
Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., Cohen, J. A., Runyon, M. K., & Heflin, A. H. (2015). Brief TF-CBT Fidelity Checklist (App. F). In Child sexual abuse: A primer for treating children, adolescents, and their nonoffending parents (2nd ed., pp. 486–487). Oxford University Press.
Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., Cohen, J. A., & Steer, R. A. (2006). A follow-up study of a multisite, randomized, controlled trial for children with sexual abuse-related PTSD symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(12), 1474–1484. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000240839.56114.bb
Deblinger, E., McLeer, S. V., & Henry, D. (1990). Cognitive behavioral treatment for sexually abused children suffering posttraumatic stress: Preliminary findings. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 29(5), 747–752. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199009000-00012
Deblinger, E., Pollio, E., & Dorsey, S. (2015). Applying trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in group format. Child Maltreatment, 21(1), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559515620668
Dorsey, S., Pullmann, M., Berliner, L., Koschmann, E. F., McKay, M., & Deblinger, E. (2014). Engaging foster parents in treatment: A randomized trial of supplementing trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with evidence-based engagement strategies. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(9), 1508–1520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.03.020
Dorsey, S., Pullmann, M. D., Deblinger, E., Berliner, L., Kerns, S. E., Thompson, K., Unützer, J., Weisz, J. R., & Garland, A. F. (2013). Improving practice in community-based settings: A randomized trial of supervision—study protocol. Implementation Science, 8(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-8-89
Friedberg, R. D. (2018). Best practices in supervising cognitive behavioral therapy with youth. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 7(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5409/wjcp.v7.i1.1
Lucid, L., Meza, R., Pullmann, M. D., Jungbluth, N., Deblinger, E., & Dorsey, S. (2018). Supervision in community mental health: Understanding intensity of EBT focus. Behavior Therapy, 49(4), 481–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2017.12.007
Márquez, Y. I., Deblinger, E., & Dovi, A. T. (2019). The value of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) in addressing the therapeutic needs of trafficked youth: A case study. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 27(3), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2019.10.001
Martin, P., Lizarondo, L., Kumar, S., & Snowdon, D. (2021). Impact of clinical supervision on healthcare organisational outcomes: A mixed methods systematic review. PLOS ONE, 16(11), e0260156. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260156
Metzger, I. W., Anderson, R. E., Are, F., & Ritchwood, T. (2021). Healing interpersonal and racial trauma: Integrating racial socialization into trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for African American youth. Child maltreatment, 26(1), 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559520921457
Meza, R. D., Alrasheed, R., Pullmann, M. D., & Dorsey, S. (2023). Clinical supervision approach predicts evidence-based trauma treatment delivery in children's mental health. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1072844. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1072844
Milne, D. (2008). CBT supervision: From reflexivity to specialization. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36(6), 779–786. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465808004773
Milne, D., & Dunkerley, C. (2010). Towards evidence-based clinical supervision: The development and evaluation of four CBT guidelines. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 3(2), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1754470X10000048
Milne, D. L., & James, I. A. (2005). Clinical supervision: Ten tests of the tandem model. Clinical Psychology Forum, 151, 6–9 https://doi.org/10.53841/bpscpf.2005.1.151.6
Murray, L. K., Familiar, I., Skavenski, S., Jere, E., Cohen, J., Imasiku, M., Mayeya, J., Bass, J. K., & Bolton, P. (2013). An evaluation of trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children in Zambia. Child Abuse & Neglect, 37(12), 1175–1185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.04.017
Newman, C. F. (2013). Training cognitive behavioral therapy supervisors: Didactics, simulated practice, and meta-supervision. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 27(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.27.1.5
Pullmann, M. D., Lucid, L., Harrison, J. P., Martin, P., Deblinger, E., Benjamin, K. S., & Dorsey, S. (2018). Implementation climate and time predict intensity of supervision content related to evidence-based treatment. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 280. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00280
Roscoe, J., Taylor, J., Harrington, R., & Wilbraham, S. (2022). CBT supervision behind closed doors: Supervisor and supervisee reflections on their expectations and use of clinical supervision. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22(4), 1056–1067. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12572
Spännargård, Å., Fagernäs, S., & Alfonsson, S. (2024). Discrepancies between guidelines, preferences and actual activities in psychotherapy supervision. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 25(1), e12824. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12824
Sudak, D. M., & Reiser, R. P. (2021). Training cognitive behavioral therapy supervisors. In A. Wenzel (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapy: Applications (pp. 669–696). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000219-021
Terjesen, M. D., & Del Vecchio, T. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook of training and supervision in cognitive behavioral therapy. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33735-2
Warfield, J. R. (2013). Supervising culturally informed modified trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 27(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.27.1.51
Weck, F., Jakob, M., Neng, J. M. B., Höfling, V., Grikscheit, F., & Bohus, M. (2016). The effects of bug-in-the-eye supervision on therapeutic alliance and therapist competence in cognitive behavioural therapy: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 23(5), 386–396. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1968
Alfonsson, S., Parling, T., Spännargård, Å., Andersson, G., & Lundgren, T. (2018). The effects of clinical supervision on supervisees and patients in cognitive behavioral therapy: A systematic review. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 47(3), 206–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2017.1369559
Amaya-Jackson, L., Hagele, D., Sideris, J., Potter, D., Briggs, E. C., Keen, L., Murphy, R. A., Dorsey, S., Patchett, V., Ake, G. S., & Socolar, R. (2018). Pilot to policy: Statewide dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatment for traumatized youth. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 589. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3395-0
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2023). Approved supervision designation: Standards handbook. AAMFT.
American Psychological Association. (2014). Guidelines for clinical supervision in health service psychology. http://apa.org/about/policy/guidelines-supervision.pdf
Bernal, G., & Domenech Rodríguez, M. M. (2012). Cultural adaptation in context: Psychotherapy as a historical account of adaptations. In G. Bernal & M. M. Domenech Rodríguez (Eds.), Cultural adaptations: Tools for evidence-based practice with diverse populations (pp. 1–22). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13752-001
Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (1993). A treatment model for sexually abused preschoolers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(1), 115-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626093008001009
Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (1996). A treatment outcome study for sexually abused preschool children: Initial findings. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(1), 42–50.
https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199601000-00011
Cohen, J. A., Deblinger, E., & Mannarino, A. P. (2018). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and families. Psychotherapy Research, 28(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2016.1208375
Cohen, J. A., Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., & Steer, R. A. (2004). A multisite, randomized controlled trial for children with sexual abuse-related PTSD symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43(4), 393–402. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200404000-00005
Cohen, J. A., Mannarino, A. P., & Kinnish, K. (2017). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for commercially sexually exploited youth. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 10(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-015-0073-9
Creed, T. A., Kuo, P. B., Oziel, R., Reich, D., Thomas, M., O’Connor, S., Imel, Z. E., Hirsch, T., Narayanan, S., & Atkins, D. C. (2022). Knowledge and attitudes toward an artificial intelligence-based fidelity measurement in community cognitive behavioral therapy supervision. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 49(3), 343–356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-021-01167-x
Cummings, J. A., Ballantyne, E. C., & Scallion, L. M. (2015). Essential processes for cognitive behavioral clinical supervision: Agenda setting, problem-solving, and formative feedback. Psychotherapy, 52(2), 158–163. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038712
Deblinger, E., Lippmann, J., & Steer, R. A. (1996). Sexually abused children suffering posttraumatic stress symptoms: Initial treatment outcome findings. Child Maltreatment, 1(4), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559596001004003
Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., Cohen, J. A., Runyon, M. K., & Heflin, A. H. (2015). Brief TF-CBT Fidelity Checklist (App. F). In Child sexual abuse: A primer for treating children, adolescents, and their nonoffending parents (2nd ed., pp. 486–487). Oxford University Press.
Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., Cohen, J. A., & Steer, R. A. (2006). A follow-up study of a multisite, randomized, controlled trial for children with sexual abuse-related PTSD symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(12), 1474–1484. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000240839.56114.bb
Deblinger, E., McLeer, S. V., & Henry, D. (1990). Cognitive behavioral treatment for sexually abused children suffering posttraumatic stress: Preliminary findings. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 29(5), 747–752. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199009000-00012
Deblinger, E., Pollio, E., & Dorsey, S. (2015). Applying trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in group format. Child Maltreatment, 21(1), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559515620668
Dorsey, S., Pullmann, M., Berliner, L., Koschmann, E. F., McKay, M., & Deblinger, E. (2014). Engaging foster parents in treatment: A randomized trial of supplementing trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with evidence-based engagement strategies. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(9), 1508–1520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.03.020
Dorsey, S., Pullmann, M. D., Deblinger, E., Berliner, L., Kerns, S. E., Thompson, K., Unützer, J., Weisz, J. R., & Garland, A. F. (2013). Improving practice in community-based settings: A randomized trial of supervision—study protocol. Implementation Science, 8(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-8-89
Friedberg, R. D. (2018). Best practices in supervising cognitive behavioral therapy with youth. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 7(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5409/wjcp.v7.i1.1
Lucid, L., Meza, R., Pullmann, M. D., Jungbluth, N., Deblinger, E., & Dorsey, S. (2018). Supervision in community mental health: Understanding intensity of EBT focus. Behavior Therapy, 49(4), 481–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2017.12.007
Márquez, Y. I., Deblinger, E., & Dovi, A. T. (2019). The value of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) in addressing the therapeutic needs of trafficked youth: A case study. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 27(3), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2019.10.001
Martin, P., Lizarondo, L., Kumar, S., & Snowdon, D. (2021). Impact of clinical supervision on healthcare organisational outcomes: A mixed methods systematic review. PLOS ONE, 16(11), e0260156. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260156
Metzger, I. W., Anderson, R. E., Are, F., & Ritchwood, T. (2021). Healing interpersonal and racial trauma: Integrating racial socialization into trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for African American youth. Child maltreatment, 26(1), 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559520921457
Meza, R. D., Alrasheed, R., Pullmann, M. D., & Dorsey, S. (2023). Clinical supervision approach predicts evidence-based trauma treatment delivery in children's mental health. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1072844. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1072844
Milne, D. (2008). CBT supervision: From reflexivity to specialization. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36(6), 779–786. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465808004773
Milne, D., & Dunkerley, C. (2010). Towards evidence-based clinical supervision: The development and evaluation of four CBT guidelines. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 3(2), 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1754470X10000048
Milne, D. L., & James, I. A. (2005). Clinical supervision: Ten tests of the tandem model. Clinical Psychology Forum, 151, 6–9 https://doi.org/10.53841/bpscpf.2005.1.151.6
Murray, L. K., Familiar, I., Skavenski, S., Jere, E., Cohen, J., Imasiku, M., Mayeya, J., Bass, J. K., & Bolton, P. (2013). An evaluation of trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children in Zambia. Child Abuse & Neglect, 37(12), 1175–1185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.04.017
Newman, C. F. (2013). Training cognitive behavioral therapy supervisors: Didactics, simulated practice, and meta-supervision. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 27(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.27.1.5
Pullmann, M. D., Lucid, L., Harrison, J. P., Martin, P., Deblinger, E., Benjamin, K. S., & Dorsey, S. (2018). Implementation climate and time predict intensity of supervision content related to evidence-based treatment. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 280. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00280
Roscoe, J., Taylor, J., Harrington, R., & Wilbraham, S. (2022). CBT supervision behind closed doors: Supervisor and supervisee reflections on their expectations and use of clinical supervision. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22(4), 1056–1067. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12572
Spännargård, Å., Fagernäs, S., & Alfonsson, S. (2024). Discrepancies between guidelines, preferences and actual activities in psychotherapy supervision. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 25(1), e12824. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12824
Sudak, D. M., & Reiser, R. P. (2021). Training cognitive behavioral therapy supervisors. In A. Wenzel (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapy: Applications (pp. 669–696). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000219-021
Terjesen, M. D., & Del Vecchio, T. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook of training and supervision in cognitive behavioral therapy. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33735-2
Warfield, J. R. (2013). Supervising culturally informed modified trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 27(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.27.1.51
Weck, F., Jakob, M., Neng, J. M. B., Höfling, V., Grikscheit, F., & Bohus, M. (2016). The effects of bug-in-the-eye supervision on therapeutic alliance and therapist competence in cognitive behavioural therapy: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 23(5), 386–396. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1968
Comment citer
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) supervision in PRACTICE: Component-based framework, vignettes, and cultural considerations. (2025). Revista Puertorriqueña De Psicologia, 36(3), 420-433. https://doi.org/10.55611/reps.3603.06
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Comment citer
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) supervision in PRACTICE: Component-based framework, vignettes, and cultural considerations. (2025). Revista Puertorriqueña De Psicologia, 36(3), 420-433. https://doi.org/10.55611/reps.3603.06