Honors Project
The focus of my social change project is introducing cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, to trauma exposed youth. I plan on adapting the CBT components into my junior high classroom, allowing for students, at a pivotal moment in their lives, to learn coping skills for their mental health needs.
Aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a Classroom Curriculum
According to the American Psychological Association (2020), cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, is a form of psychological treatment that focuses on faulty and unhealthy ways of thinking. It has been effective for depression, anxiety, severe mental illness, eating disorders, and trauma. When children and adolescents are exposed to trauma, unattended trauma can lead to mental health issues as adults. My focus with this paper is to use interdisciplinary research to discover whether the technological advancements in CBT can introduce trauma exposed teens and adolescents to the benefits of treatment. Technology is allowing us to understand how cognitive behavioral therapy affects the brain with the advancement of brain imaging technology and 3D scanning. With the use of HIPAA compliant video conferencing technology and other software, CBT can now be accessed in various ways and made more readily available for those in need. With the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy being proven by research and clinical practice and the advancement in technology, it is important to take a look at how we can make a difference for our trauma exposed youth.