Trauma-Focused Social Adjustment Therapy (TF-SAT): A Short-Term Intensive Approach to Enhancing Social Adjustment in Youth with Trauma Histories

Trauma-Focused Social Adjustment Therapy (TF-SAT) is a short-term, integrative, and tailored intervention specifically designed to address trauma-related difficulties in psychosocial adjustment among youth with interpersonal trauma histories (e.g., chronic childhood abuse, extreme violence, neglect, or insecure attachment). The initial protocol and therapeutic phases were developed through a six-year process of intervention mapping, followed by three additional years of empirical investigation with diverse international samples of youth and young adults. These efforts aimed to enhance the TF-SAT’s theoretical framework and intervention protocol in terms of applicability, cost-effectiveness, and generalizability.This report, presented in the style of a pre-print book chapter, summarizes the theoretical framework of TF-SAT, its nine-year development journey, and the empirical studies led by the author that informed both the initial design and subsequent refinements of the TF-SAT framework and intervention protocol. In addition, the report offers practical recommendations for future empirical studies, especially clinical trials to replicate and advance the TF-SAT framework, as well as guidance on implementing this approach in real-world clinical settings.