Alternatives for Families - A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT)

Upcoming Cohorts:

There are no upcoming cohorts of this training planned at this time. Please check back again later.

Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants must:

Be fully trained in TF-CBT
Currently be providing treatment services to families who would be eligible to receive AF-CBT Treatment (as outlined here) and who are residing in Fairfax County/City, Virginia.
Possess a master’s degree or higher in a mental health-related field.
Be licensed to provide therapy services or be under supervision by a licensed clinical supervisor to provide these services.
Be available to attend BOTH days of training without interruption.
Commit to keeping their camera turned on and remaining visible and engaged for the full duration of training.
Complete brief surveys used to evaluate the training program(s).

If accepted to this training, participant will have additional responsibilities during the consultation calls (number of clients receiving AF-CBT, call attendance requirements, etc.,)

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Unless otherwise stated in a training program's official application announcement, all of the above criteria apply. There are programs with additional requirements and programs with exceptions to these criteria; additions and exceptions are listed within training announcements and should not be assumed applicable across programs.

Email CEBBH@gmu.edu for further information.

Training Features

Target Audience: Licensed behavioral health clinicians or those under supervision for clinical licensure providing services to children, adolescents, and families.
Target Treatment Population: Children and adolescents (ages 5–17) and their caregivers involved in family conflict, physical force or discipline, aggression, child physical abuse, or child behavior concerns.
Clinical Focus: Trauma‑informed, evidence‑based treatment using Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF‑CBT).
Post‑Training Consultation:
- Twelve twice‑monthly small group consultation calls.
- Groups of up to 12 participants.
Delivery Format: Fully virtual
Treatment Materials available in Spanish, Korean, and Japanese.

Quick Description

Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF‑CBT) is a trauma‑informed, evidence‑based treatment designed to improve relationships between children and caregivers in families experiencing conflict, aggression, physical discipline, child physical abuse, or child behavior problems.

AF‑CBT is appropriate for use with children and adolescents ages 5 to 17 and their caregivers. Treatment may include individual child sessions, individual caregiver sessions, parent‑child sessions, and family sessions, depending on clinical needs. Any adult caregiver—including biological, foster, adoptive, or other caregivers—may participate in treatment with at least one child.

This training supports clinicians in learning how to implement AF‑CBT with fidelity within a virtual service delivery context and in working effectively with families experiencing complex relational and behavioral challenges.

Full Description

Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) is a trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment designed to help families who struggle with anger, conflict, and aggression. It can also help families concerned about their use of harsh or abusive behavior; some children exhibit common behavior problems, and some children or caregivers may experience traumatic reactions. AF-CBT promotes the use of positive coping and self-control skills, effective and safe discipline strategies, and useful family problem solving and communication skills that can improve child behavior and well-being, help families get along better, and maintain a safe and secure home environment.

See video for a full description.

Who is appropriate for AF-CBT?

A family or a caregiver and child who experience frequent conflicts, arguments, or angry feelings.
A caregiver with concerns about their use of physical force or discipline, or who worries about doing something that could injure/hurt a child, or who has a history of physical or emotional abuse.
A child (5-17 years old) who exhibits challenging behaviors (e.g., not listening, fighting, hard to manage) or shows trauma symptoms (e.g., post-traumatic stress) related to #1 or #2 above.

Many eligible families who receive AF-CBT also experience other challenges such as living in different residences, domestic disputes, substance use, incarceration, and/or prior traumatic experiences.

How can AF-CBT help?

It can be challenging to care for a child who struggles with defiance, aggression, or other problem behaviors. Family conflict can easily lead to caregiver frustration and the use of harsh, but ineffective, discipline.

AF-CBT helps families learn new, safe, and more effective ways to overcome or prevent these struggles. That’s why AF-CBT includes specialized content and skills that are delivered in three phases:

Engagement and education,
Individual skill building, and
Family applications.

Families in AF-CBT can receive several important services from one provider (“one stop shop”). This eliminates the need to send the family to several different providers for parenting classes, anger management, family therapy, individual therapy, and trauma treatment. All of these services are offered in AF-CBT.

Goals of AF-CBT:

Support children and caregivers who are under stress and/or exposed to trauma
Improve child behavior and well-being
Enhance child and family safety
Strengthen family relationships, skills, and routines
Reduce the risk for high conflict interactions
Help caregiver and children to find effective ways to manage their emotions and be
flexible in their thinking
Promote effective use of positive discipline strategies

Important Skills That Caregivers and Children Learn

How to maintain a safe, stable environment
Strategies for managing angry outbursts
Skills for calming children when they are out of control
Methods for solving problems together
Communication skills that will help caregivers and children express what they want
Social skills that children can use to make appropriate requests

How do Families Benefit from AF-CBT?

Improved caregiver-child relationships
Healthy parenting practices
Enhanced children’s coping and social skills
Reduced behavioral problems in children
Better, healthier reactions to stressful or traumatic situations
Feeling safe and secure at home