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Community Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse: A Survey of Practitioners in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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Abstract

Practitioners from numerous agencies who sought training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in several regional sites under the auspices of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network completed a baseline survey to describe their backgrounds, settings, practices, attitudes, and perceived outcomes with sexually abused children and youth. The results documented a range of experiences and common treatment practices, and identified contributors to practitioners’ use of gradual exposure and perceived levels of positive treatment outcome. The results were not accounted for by geographic region or agency. The findings support recommendations to optimize research and training related to the dissemination of evidence-based treatments in the child abuse field.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported, in part, by SAMHSA Grant SM54319-05 (Judy Cohen, PI). We appreciate the following colleagues for allowing us to use some or all of their assessment measures: Gregory Aarons, Michael Addis, Scott Henggeler, Sonja Schoenwald, V. Robin Weersing, and John Weisz. We also acknowledge Yu Cheng, He Len Chung, and Steve Wisniewski for providing statistical consultation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    David J. Kolko & Barbara L. Baumann

  2. Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents, Allegheny General Hospital, Drexel University College of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Judith A. Cohen & Anthony P. Mannarino

  3. Ohio State Department of Mental Health, Columbus, OH, USA

    Kraig Knudsen

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  1. David J. Kolko
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  2. Judith A. Cohen
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  3. Anthony P. Mannarino
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  4. Barbara L. Baumann
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  5. Kraig Knudsen
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Correspondence to David J. Kolko.

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Portions of these data were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, July, 2004, Honolulu, Hawaii.

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Kolko, D.J., Cohen, J.A., Mannarino, A.P. et al. Community Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse: A Survey of Practitioners in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Adm Policy Ment Health 36, 37–49 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-008-0180-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-008-0180-0

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