Avoidance describes any action designed to prevent an uncomfortable situation or emotion from occurring. Avoidance is a primary symptom of PTSD. In many psychological models of PTSD it is believed to be a primary driver of the development and maintenance of PTSD. Avoidance can be complicated to identify. Many clients
Cognitive Processing Therapy or CPT for PTSD is an effective evidence based therapy that like many therapies has been delivered in a weekly or twice weekly format. Now there is evidence that it can be delivered more intensively. 2018 Craig Bryan and colleagues (2018) examined Military Servicemembers and Veterans with
What is the therapeutic alliance Sijercic and colleagues 2021 reported that several definitions of therapeutic alliance exist. They also outlined that most researchers agree the alliance consists of three components that were defined by Bordin, (1979): (a) an affective bond between the client and therapist, (b) mutually agreed-upon goals between
My client has returned, and their PTSD is worse, will repeating therapy help? Jeremiah Schumm and colleagues (2017) examined this question in their comparison of veterans who repeated a course of manualized, cognitive-behavioural therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder compared with veterans who do not repeat. They examined three types of
According to Woody Allen, 80 percent of success is showing up. This might also be the case for therapists wanting to improve the outcomes for clients with PTSD. Kera Swanson and colleagues (2021) investigated the influence of specific activities performed during Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) consultation or supervision meetings. CPT
My guess would be that most clinicians would think that trauma therapy would take a long time. This case study shows otherwise. More on that below. Why CPT in a week Previous research has shown that there are often practical barriers to attending therapy for PTSD. Browne et al.
As common sense might tell you there could be a link between trauma and attachment. This is highlighted in the literature (Cyr, et al. 2010: Tocker, et al. 2017 and Twaite & Rodriguez-Srednicki, 2004). The link between attachment insecurity and mental health difficulties is also in the literature (Mikulincer &
In perinatal clinical practice, especially in maternity settings, women are frequently referred during pregnancy for treatment of PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD are often the result of a previous traumatic birth. But this raises questions such as….. Is it safe to provide PTSD treatment during pregnancy? What about the possible
PTSD occurs when a person develops rigid, unhelpful beliefs about why a traumatic event occurred. When something frightening and distressing happens, people search for explanations for why. We construct stories to create meaning. We crave a sense of coherence and control. Sometimes we also lay blame, on ourselves or others.
Assessment Considerations Birth trauma is increasingly gaining attention. Women are beginning to speak more honestly and openly about their experiences in childbirth, and in the case of traumatic birth, to share their stories of pain, anxiety and also recovery. However, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is still too often overlooked as