CTC Assessment Techniques & Intervention Strategies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which structured interview tool is specifically designed to assess trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in children aged 7–18?
- Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS)
- UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (Correct answer)
- Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders (K-SADS)
- Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI)
Correct answer: UCLA PTSD Reaction Index
The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index is a widely used structured interview/self-report tool designed specifically to assess DSM-based PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents following trauma exposure.
Question 2: During a trauma-focused assessment, a 9-year-old displays significant behavioral avoidance and refuses to discuss the event. The best clinical response is to:
- Proceed with the full structured interview regardless
- Terminate the assessment and reschedule
- Use indirect methods such as drawing or play-based techniques (Correct answer)
- Ask the caregiver to describe the event in detail to the child
Correct answer: Use indirect methods such as drawing or play-based techniques
Indirect techniques like drawing, storytelling, or play allow avoidant children to express trauma experiences at a tolerable pace without direct confrontation.
Question 3: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) assesses trauma symptoms primarily through which framework?
- DSM-5 trauma criteria
- Broadband empirically-derived syndromes (Correct answer)
- Attachment behavioral systems
- Neurobiological stress markers
Correct answer: Broadband empirically-derived syndromes
The CBCL uses empirically derived broadband (internalizing/externalizing) and narrowband syndrome scales rather than a specific DSM trauma diagnostic framework.
Question 4: Motivational Interviewing (MI) is most appropriate during which phase of trauma intervention?
- Trauma processing and reprocessing
- Crisis stabilization only
- Pre-treatment engagement and readiness building (Correct answer)
- Memory reconsolidation
Correct answer: Pre-treatment engagement and readiness building
MI is best used to enhance motivation and resolve ambivalence before or during early engagement, helping clients commit to trauma treatment.
Question 5: A child endorses trauma symptoms only after their non-offending parent completes the caregiver version of an assessment measure. This discrepancy most likely reflects:
- The child fabricating symptoms for attention
- Informant discrepancy, which is common and clinically meaningful (Correct answer)
- An invalid assessment tool
- Parent projection of their own distress onto the child
Correct answer: Informant discrepancy, which is common and clinically meaningful
Informant discrepancy between child self-report and caregiver report is common in trauma assessment and provides clinically valuable information about different contexts and perspectives.
Question 6: Which intervention component of Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) directly addresses avoidance of trauma reminders?
- Psychoeducation
- In vivo mastery of trauma reminders (Correct answer)
- Relaxation training
- Cognitive coping
Correct answer: In vivo mastery of trauma reminders
The 'In Vivo Mastery of Trauma Reminders' component of TF-CBT uses graduated exposure to help children confront avoided trauma cues in real-world settings.
Question 7: When assessing for Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD) in a foster child, the consultant should prioritize evaluation of:
- Single-incident trauma exposure and intrusion symptoms
- Cumulative interpersonal trauma and self-regulatory deficits (Correct answer)
- Genetic predispositions and biomarkers
- Academic performance and IQ scores
Correct answer: Cumulative interpersonal trauma and self-regulatory deficits
DTD is characterized by exposure to cumulative interpersonal trauma and manifests as pervasive self-regulatory, relational, and identity disturbances rather than single-event PTSD features.
CTC Assessment Techniques & Intervention Strategies 2
Which structured interview tool is specifically designed to assess trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in children aged 7–18?