We have developed five manuals to help children cope with their reaction to war and disasters.

These are evidence based scalable psychological interventions designed to help children in resource constrained settings following conflict and emergencies. CAW recommends that the interventions are integrated into a co-ordinated response, not used as a stand-alone intervention. CAW recommends that the manuals are used in accordance with core principles of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in emergencies: Human rights and equity, participation, do no harm and building on available resources. We recommend that TRT is used according to the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines MHPSS in emergencies (by clicking here) and the MHPSS Minimum Service Package (see Home - MHPSS MSP) e.g. that TRT is used in the context of a multi-sectoral response. Even in an emergency setting, humanitarian actors and communities should plan, establish and co-ordinate a set of minimum responses to protect and improve people’s rights and health.

CAW develops and promotes these evidence based interventions, but strongly recommends that other tools are also used (see Guidelines and tools for strengthening mental health and psychosocial support).

Please note that although CAW Foundation has all intellectual property rights (IPR) to all manuals and other materials developed for the Foundation (see www.childrenandwar.org/intellectual-property-rights), CAW UK has been granted free use of all brands, logo and copyright materials.

The most widely used manual is the Teaching Recovery Techniques (TRT) Manual which was revised in 2026. It can be downloaded by filling in the form after clicking “Download” below:

Children and Grief Manual
Helping children cope with their reactions to disasters

Writing for Recovery Manual
Helping children recover through writing

Manual for Children Aged 5-8 Years
Our methods adapted for the youngest children

TRT Plus Parenting
TRT Plus Parenting provides five sessions for parents of traumatised children, to be run in conjunction with children’s TRT groups. It gives parents information about trauma and how to help their children as they attend the groups.