10/8/23, 11:40 PM Case Examples in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

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Case Examples
Examples of strongly and conditionally
recommended interventions in the
treatment of PTSD

Strongly
Recommended
Treatments
COGNITIVE (/ptsd-
BEHAVIORAL
THERAPY
guideline/resources/cognitive-
behavioral-therapy-example)
Jill, a 32-
year-old
Afghanistan
War veteran
Jill had been
experiencing
PTSD symptoms

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10/8/23, 11:40 PM Case Examples in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

for more than

five years. She
consistently
avoided
thoughts and
images related
to witnessing
her fellow
service
members being
hit by an
improvised
explosive
device. This case
example
explains how
Jill's therapist
used a cognitive
worksheet as a
starting point
for engaging in
Socratic
dialogue.

COGNITIVE (/ptsd-
PROCESSING
THERAPY guideline/resources/cognitive-
processing-therapy-
Tom, a 23-
example.pdf)
year-old Iraq
War veteran
Several
published CPT
case examples
exist in the
literature but
many find the
one in this
chapter to be
especially
helpful:

Monson, C.M.,
Resick, P.A., &
Rizvi, S.L. (2014).
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10/8/23, 11:40 PM Case Examples in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic
stress disorder.
In D.H. Barlow
(Ed.), Clinical
handbook of
psychological
disorders (5th
ed., pp. 80-113).
New York, NY:
Guilford Press.

COGNITIVE THERAPY (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.go

Philip, a 60- 1-5599.pdf)

year-old who
was in a traffic
accident (PDF,
294KB)
This case example
from the European
Journal of
Psychotraumatology
details an assisted
self-study
application of
cognitive therapy
for PTSD. Philip
developed PTSD
and comorbid
major depression
following a traffic
accident. He was
treated in six
sessions of
cognitive therapy
with self-study
modules
completed in
between sessions.

PROLONGED (/ptsd-
EXPOSURE
guideline/resources/prolonged-

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10/8/23, 11:40 PM Case Examples in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Terry, a 42- exposure-example)

year-old
earthquake
survivor
Terry
consistently
avoided
thoughts and
images related
to witnessing
the injuries and
deaths of
others during
an earthquake.
He began
spending more
time at work
and filling his
days with
hobbies and
activities.
However,
whenever he
had free time,
he would have
unwanted
intrusive
thoughts about
the earthquake.
In addition, he
was having
increasingly
distressing
nightmares.
This case
example is
followed by an
excerpt from an
in-session
imaginal
exposure with a
different client.

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10/8/23, 11:40 PM Case Examples in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Conditionally
Recommended
Treatments
EYE MOVEMENT (/ptsd-
DESENSITIZATION AND
REPROCESSING guideline/resources/eye-
movement-
Mike, a 32-year-
reprocessing-example)
old Iraq War
veteran
Mike was a 32-year-
old flight medic who
had completed two
tours in Iraq and
discharged from the
Army due to his
posttraumatic stress
disorder.

NARRATIVE (https://www.commonlanguageps
EXPOSURE
THERAPY

Eric, a 24-
year-old
Rwandan
refugee
living in
Uganda
(PDF,
28KB)
This
document
from the
Common
Language for
Psychotherapy
Procedures
summarizes
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10/8/23, 11:40 PM Case Examples in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

narrative
exposure
therapy and
includes a
case example
about a
Rwandan civil
war refugee
living in a
Ugandan
settlement.
Eric had
recurring
intrusive
images and
nightmares of
seeing his
family be shot
by armed
rebels.

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Date created: 2017

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