This study compared CPT treatment with a group of wait-list control subjects. The hypothesis was that adolescents that received short-term (eight sessions) CPT treatment (exposure and cognitive restructuring) would show fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression than those that were on a listing list (controls). Participants were 38 adolescent males, ages 15 to 18, incarcerated in a youth facility for adolescent offenders. Youths were assessed by staff psychologists via clinical interview and checklists. Therapy was conducted by a female doctoral candidate and a female psychologist that co-led the groups. Levels of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology were assessed via self-report inventories twice: at week 0 and week 12. Participants learned about the symptoms of PTSD, did exercises distinguishing thoughts and feelings, examined thoughts that they had associated with the trauma, and wrote a narrative describing the trauma. Results show that self-reported levels of depression and trauma related symptoms, such as intrusion, avoidance, and hypervigilance, were lessened as measured 4 weeks post CPT treatment. Participants spontaneously reported that they were helped by the groups in expressing their feelings more effectively in their day-to-day lives. These findings would be strengthened by the addition of a non-specific treatment condition to assess the effects of attention and expectancy on results. The addition of behavioral measures assessing in-program behavior, time to release, and recidivism rate can provide a more comprehensive picture of the effect of CPT for juvenile delinquents with PTSD. 1 table, 50 references