Project Grant H79SM091319

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $600,000 to the NC Youth Violence Prevention Center on September 30, 2026, to develop, test, evaluate, and disseminate TF-CBT Workbook Coach, a supervised AI-assisted interactive application that supports children and youth in completing structured trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy practice activities between sessions with human clinicians. The tool will guide users through established TF-CBT modules—psychoeducation, relaxation, affect modulation, cognitive coping, trauma narrative preparation, caregiver-supported practice, safety planning, closure, and relapse prevention—while preserving therapist responsibility for assessment, safety, mandated reporting, trauma processing, and clinical decision-making. Trauma narrative modules require active therapist assignment and documented readiness; youth without an assigned therapist may access lower-intensity orientation, coping, caregiver engagement, and safety-planning features only through a sponsoring agency with clinical supervision. The project targets rural and underserved communities where children exposed to abuse, neglect, violence, bullying, disasters, or other adverse experiences face extended waits for specialized trauma treatment.

The award is made under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance (CFDA 93.532), a program supporting prevention, treatment, and recovery for Americans with mental health conditions through knowledge development, training, technical assistance, and systems change initiatives. Performance takes place in Lumberton, North Carolina, through September 29, 2031.