Treating PTSD

The book's contributors have selected proven treatment protocols for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and present them as components of a unified conceptual model for cognitive-behavioral treatment. Respected clinicians have contributed chapters on working with a variety of survivor groups. For combat-related trauma, separate chapters describe group methods and individual behavioral methods appropriate for Vet Center and VA Medical Center settings. Behavioral principles for treating battered women in shelter and outpatient settings are delineated, as are treatment methods for both children and adults who have survived sexual assaults. In each chapter, specific assessment instruments that have proven useful are identified, and the applications of behavioral treatment methods are carefully described. Unique in its use of a common conceptual model of PTSD, the book's special features include a decision-making tree for guiding the multi-task process of diagnostic assessment in combat-related PTSD and a symptom checklist for monitoring changes in core PTSD symptoms over the course of therapy.