The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) developed by Dr. Bruce Perry is an evidence-based, therapeutic approach that is trauma informed and neurodevelopmentally focused.
The NMT clinical assessment is not a therapeutic method but a process designed to create a ‘functional brain map’ that identifies a child’s developmental areas of strength and specific areas of need. This structured assessment map can then provide clearly targeted treatment areas and act as a progress tool.
The primary goals of the NMT approach is to:
- Provide education about the neurodevelopmental influence of trauma on the developing child,
- Structure the assessment process of at-risk children and youth in a manner that is strength-based, while also identifying primary barriers of current functioning
- Identify enrichment, educational, and therapeutic interventions, and ways to sequence interventions, to match each child’s strengths and needs
NMT assessments of the child are designed to help family, educational a therapeutic interdisciplinary treatment teams during the clinical problem solving process within the context a child or youth’s individual needs and goals.
References
Perry, B.D. (2006). The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics: Applying principles of neuroscience to clinical work with traumatized and maltreated children.In Nancy Boyd Webb (Ed.) Working with Traumatized Youth in Child Welfare , pp. 27-52. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Perry, B.D. (2009). Examining child maltreatment through a neurodevelopmental lens: clinical application of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 14, 240-255.