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It organizes decisions; it is not a diagnostic instrument. Record only the information needed for care, using your usual confidential documentation procedures. Review the plan collaboratively rather than treating it as a fixed sequence of appointments.

Understand the current picture

• What brings the child and caregiver to treatment now? Describe effects on daily life, strengths, and their priorities without collecting unnecessary event details here.
• What immediate safety concerns, ongoing threats, or reporting responsibilities require action?
• Which developmentally and culturally appropriate validated measures will you use through authorized sources? Identify baseline and follow-up timing; do not substitute this sheet for those measures.

Plan participation and access

Identify a safe, supportive caregiver and clarify the child’s preferences, privacy expectations, and limits of confidentiality. Consider language, disability access, scheduling, transportation, and caregiver distress. If participation is difficult, note a practical next step and whether consultation is needed.

Choose the next session focus

Write a shared, observable goal in the family’s own terms. Select a component focus, a skill to revisit, and a manageable practice agreement. Note how you will check understanding with both child and caregiver. Pacing depends on assessment and response, not this form.

Review and adjust

At the next review, compare symptoms, functioning, safety, and family feedback. What improved, what became harder, and what should change? Assign responsibility and a review date for any referral or safety action.

Adapt the language to development, culture, and the family’s understanding. It supports trained clinician work and does not replace training or an individualized parenting plan.

Begin with their questions

Ask what the family already believes about stress reactions and therapy. Offer one relevant explanation, then invite them to describe it in their own words. Avoid promising a particular outcome or correcting every misunderstanding at once.

Original example language: “Sometimes the body’s alarm stays on after something frightening. We can learn about that alarm and practice ways to handle it together.”

Select one caregiver skill

Identify an everyday situation and a specific, achievable behavior to encourage. Help the caregiver notice the child’s effort and give clear, timely praise. Practice a brief instruction and a predictable response together. Consider whether expectations fit the child’s abilities and current stress.

• What is already working in the relationship?
• What might the child need before following the instruction?
• What can the caregiver do to settle themselves before responding?

Make practice manageable

Agree on one ordinary opportunity to try the skill. Ask about barriers and choose a smaller version if needed. Never use ignoring for dangerous behavior, disclosures, or requests for protection; address safety directly. Tailor any behavior-management strategy through assessment and coaching.

At follow-up, ask what happened without blame. Reinforce effort, adjust the plan, and make room for caregiver questions and emotions.

You can write, draw, or ask someone to help. Choose an ordinary, reasonably comfortable moment to practice. You do not need to bring up a frightening memory or make yourself feel upset to fill this in.

Choose a comfortable skill

What feels useful today? You might try easy breathing, gently releasing tense shoulders, stretching comfortably, or noticing your feet on the floor. Choose a skill your therapist has helped you learn. Keep your eyes open if that feels better. Breathing should feel comfortable; there is no need to hold your breath or force deep breaths.

My skill and how I like to do it:

Notice what happens

Before practice, what do you notice in your body? After a short try, notice again. You might feel a little different, the same, or uncomfortable. There is no required feeling and no score to pass. Stop or change activities if you feel dizzy, uncomfortable, or more upset.

What I noticed before and after:

Plan support

When would a small practice fit into your day? Who can remind you kindly or practice with you? A caregiver can offer choices and praise the effort without requiring calmness.

Bring questions to your therapist: What helped? What was difficult? Would a different skill feel better? If you need help now, ask a trusted adult; you do not have to manage difficult feelings alone.

Use it with your therapist or a trusted caregiver. You can draw instead of writing, skip a question, or come back later. Feelings do not have to disappear for you to ask for help or take a useful next step.

Name what you notice

Think of a small, recent situation that feels comfortable to discuss. What feeling words fit? You may have more than one feeling, or you may not know its name yet. Where do you notice it in your body? What tells you the feeling is getting stronger?

Choose a helpful response

What might help without hurting you or someone else? Possible choices include asking for a break, talking with a trusted adult, drawing, using a calming skill you have learned, or doing a comfortable activity. A feeling and an action are different: feeling angry does not mean you must hit.

My first choice, and another choice if it does not help:

Ask for the support you need

Finish in your own words: “I feel ____. It would help if ____.” You can point, draw, or use another way of communicating. Caregivers can listen, name the feeling gently, and offer a manageable choice.

Afterward, notice what was useful. Tell your therapist if a skill feels uncomfortable or feelings regularly interfere with sleep, school, or relationships. You can change the plan together; difficult moments are information, not failure.

Thoughts are the words or pictures in your mind. Feelings are emotions such as sadness, worry, or happiness. Actions are what you do. These can influence one another. This activity does not ask you to describe a traumatic event.

Choose an everyday example

Example: A friend does not wave back. A thought might be “They are upset with me.” A feeling might be worry. An action might be walking away. Another possible explanation is that the friend did not see you. We cannot know without more information.

My small situation:

Find the three parts

• What went through my mind? Write the thought as a sentence.
• What feelings did I notice? It is okay to name more than one.
• What did I do, or feel like doing?

Try a fairer thought

What do I know? What am I guessing? Is there another explanation? Choose words that fit the facts and help you decide what to do. You do not have to replace a real problem with a cheerful thought. If something is unsafe, ask for protection.

A possible thought and a helpful next action:

Discuss what changed, if anything. Feelings may take time to shift. A caregiver can ask curious questions instead of arguing about the “right” answer. Bring difficult examples to your therapist for help.

It is not a narrative worksheet and should not be used to collect a child’s account of traumatic events. Keep actual narrative material within your established clinical and confidentiality procedures. Preparation and pacing require individualized assessment and consultation when indicated.

Establish the working agreement

Plan how to explain the purpose of narrative work in developmentally appropriate language. Invite the child’s questions and choices about format. Clarify privacy, the limits of confidentiality, and how any later sharing with a caregiver will be prepared. Avoid promising absolute secrecy or surprise disclosure.

Questions to address and choices to offer:

Plan support and pacing

Review current safety, functioning, available coping skills, and the child’s ability to communicate distress. Identify a check-in method, a pause signal, and how you will respond to overwhelming distress or disengagement. Plan time to reorient and finish the appointment with support. Do not require complete absence of distress before beginning; determine pacing clinically.

Prepare the caregiver separately

Assess the caregiver’s capacity to listen supportively and manage their own reactions. Rehearse a response that communicates belief, care, and freedom from blame. Address questions or reactions that could burden the child before a shared meeting.

Review the next step

Identify the next therapist-guided task and what will remain in session. Home support can reinforce learned skills without pressing for details. Record questions for supervision and a review point. This sheet intentionally provides no space for personal trauma details.

In-vivo work may be indicated when avoidance of objectively safe reminders limits daily functioning; it is not required for every child. This form is not an independent exposure assignment for families. Decisions require assessment of actual danger and collaboration with the child and caregiver.

Decide whether this component fits

Describe the avoided situation in general terms and the effect on daily life. Distinguish a trauma reminder from ongoing danger. How was safety verified, by whom, and what information is missing? Do not plan exposure to abuse, unsafe people, or other genuine threats. If safety is uncertain, address protection and clarify conditions first.

Design a collaborative plan

If indicated, agree on a meaningful functional goal. Identify manageable steps, support arrangements, and a way to review distress and learning. Adapt communication and expectations to development and access needs. The therapist determines the plan; this reference does not prescribe a sequence, duration, or distress cutoff.

Define roles and revision points

• What will the therapist teach and review before any practice?
• How will the caregiver support rather than pressure or surprise the child?
• What signs require stopping to reassess safety, support, or the plan?
• How will changes in real-world circumstances be checked?

Review functioning, the child’s experience, and caregiver feedback rather than completion alone. Revise collaboratively if practice is overwhelming or circumstances change. Seek consultation when indication, safety, or adaptation remains unclear.

Conjoint work can reinforce skills, communication, and support. Any sharing of narrative material needs separate preparation; a shared session should not create unexpected disclosure or place responsibility for the caregiver’s emotions on the child.

Agree on the purpose separately

Ask each person what they hope the meeting will help with. Choose a shared goal and clarify what the child has agreed to discuss. Review limits of confidentiality and any safety concerns. If caregiver behavior or the relationship makes the meeting unsafe, reconsider participation and seek consultation.

Our shared purpose and agreed topics:

Rehearse supportive communication

Help the caregiver practice listening, acknowledging feelings, and responding without blame or interrogation. Help the child choose ways to speak, draw, or ask for a pause. Plan how to address interruptions and difficult questions. Use original language such as: “We can slow down. My job is to help both of you understand and support each other.”

Structure the meeting

• Start with the agreed goal and a familiar skill.
• Allow time for the prepared exchange and therapist support.
• Check understanding rather than assuming agreement.
• Close with a clear, manageable support plan for home.

Follow up

Check privately when appropriate about how each person experienced the session. Note questions needing separate work before the next meeting. Home support should respect the agreed boundaries and avoid repeated requests for traumatic details.

It helps you remember who can support you and what adults will do to help protect you. You do not need to write private event details. Keep the completed sheet somewhere appropriate; ask your therapist who should have a copy and how to protect personal contact information.

Notice when you need help

What tells you that you need support? This might be a strong feeling, trouble sleeping, or something happening around you. A body alarm can happen around a reminder, but danger can also be real. You do not have to decide alone whether a situation is safe.

My signs that I need help:

Name safe people and ways to reach them

With an adult, choose people who can respond and confirm how to contact them. Include a backup if the first person is unavailable. A child is never responsible for making an unsafe adult behave safely.

Who I can contact, how, and my backup:

Agree on actions

What can I say or do to ask for help? What will the adult do? Where can I go with adult support if I need protection? Choose actions that fit your actual situation; do not approach danger to practice a skill.

If danger is immediate, get help from local emergency services or a safe adult now. This worksheet is not an emergency service. Find regional crisis resources on the help page. Review the plan when circumstances or contact details change.

Progress can include small steps in sleep, school, play, relationships, or asking for help. A difficult day does not erase what you have learned. This sheet is a conversation guide, not a symptom test or a decision about ending treatment.

Notice changes that matter to you

What feels easier than before? What still takes effort? Think about one everyday example rather than trying to describe everything. Caregivers can add something they have noticed, while leaving room for the child’s own view.

Something I am proud of and something I still want help with:

Keep useful skills close

Which skills or people have helped? Choose one practice you want to keep using and a realistic time for it. What could make practice difficult? Plan a smaller option for busy or stressful days. You can ask your therapist to review a skill again.

Plan for harder days

What early signs tell you that more support would help? Who will you tell, and how can your caregiver contact the therapist? Agree together on when to request another appointment or a review. Check your safety and support plan if circumstances change.

Before a pause or the end of treatment, ask about follow-up, questions, and available support. You do not have to start trauma-story work or real-life exposure on your own. Keep using the agreed skills and reach out when you need help.