T-Man's life turned upside down on May 11, 2024.

The day before had felt like a nearly perfect Friday afternoon. The 16-year-old, who is being identified by his nickname because he's a minor, had wandered around the park on Chicago’s West side with his cousin, also 16, after school. They talked to girls. T-Man said he and his cousin stayed up until 3 a.m. talking.

When T-Man woke up Saturday, his cousin had stopped breathing. T-Man and his uncle rushed his cousin to the hospital, where doctors ruled the teenager had died from an overdose. T-Man said he had no idea his cousin had used any drugs.

“This was a person I never thought I’d be closing the casket on,” T-Man said in a recent interview regarding his experiences and the program he is in, focused on preventing youth violence. “I never experienced that type of pain before.”

T-Man and his cousin had leaned on each other to deal with the high rates of overdose deaths and gun violence in their neighborhood, showing the importance of preventing youth violence. On most days, the pair would ask, “What do I need to do today to stay safe?” T-Man said.

Two months before his cousin's overdose, T-Man had joined Choose to Change, a program that pairs cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with intensive mentoring to help kids cope with the violence they witness, preventing further youth violence. The program is part of a growing trend of CBT-based violence prevention efforts around the country.

Research shows that youth who are exposed to high levels of trauma are more likely to struggle with depression, addiction and suicide. They’re also more likely to perpetrate violence and end up incarcerated.

But evidence has mounted over the last decade that the growing number of CBT programs like Choose to Change can help some kids break this cycle, preventing youth violence.

CBT is a kind of talk therapy that focuses less on past traumas and more on present behavior. At its most simple, the idea is to help people change patterns of thought and behavior, in order to develop more effective ways to cope with life.

Read the full article about preventing youth violence by Ryan Levi and Dan Gorenstein at The Marshall Project.