Lecture 4 - Psychotherapeutic Trauma Interventions

Question 1

Psychotherapy for Trauma:
Objectives

Answer 1

 Safety
 Witnessing
 Psychoeducation
 Validation
 Interpretation
 Reconstruction
 Supportive guidance
 Rebuilding
 Improvement in Quality of Life and Sense of Self

Question 2

Theoretical Approaches

Answer 2

 Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic
 Behavioral
 Cognitive Behavioral

Question 3

Theoretical Approaches - Psychodynamic/analytic

Answer 3

Freud
Accelerated Experiential Psychodynamic Therapy (AEDP)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Question 4

Theoretical Approaches - Behavioural

Answer 4

Prolonged Exposure (PE)

Question 5

Theoretical approaches - cognitive behavioural

Answer 5

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Question 6

Psychodynamic Approaches

Answer 6

 Evolved from the Psychoanalytic Tradition (Freud)
 Classical/Traditional emphasis on unconscious conflicts arising from parental
relationships
 Contemporary emphasis on relationships-parents and others

Question 7

Psychodynamic approaches - areas of interest

Answer 7

 Attachment Styles
 Defenses
 Symbolism/Meaning

Question 8

Accelerated Experiential Dynamic
Psychotherapy (AEDP)

Answer 8

Founder: Diana Fosha, Ph.D.

 A “Healing” Therapy; Not pathology focused.
 Empathy and radical engagement by the therapist to elicit and harness the patient’s own healing affects.
 “AEDP seeks to clinically make neuroplasticity happen. Championing our innate healing capacities, AEDP has roots in and resonances with many disciplines — among them interpersonal neurobiology, attachment theory, emotion theory and affective neuroscience, body-focused approaches, and last but not least, transformational studies. Through undoing of aloneness, and through the in-depth processing of difficult emotional and relational experiences, as well as new transformational experiences, the AEDP clinician fosters the emergence of new and healing experiences for the client, and with them resources, resilience and a renewed zest for life.” aedpinstitute.org

Question 9

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Answer 9

 Founder: Dr. Richard Schwartz
 We all have “Parts” which have evolved for a reason. All parts have identities
and roles and interact with each other in a “family system.”
 “All Parts are Welcome”

Question 10

Prolonged Exposure (PE)

Answer 10

Founder: Dr. Edna Foa

Two main treatment procedures:
 Imaginal exposure is repeated ‘on-purpose’ retelling of the trauma memory.
 In vivo exposure is gradually confronting situations, places, and things that are
reminders of the trauma or feel dangerous (despite being objectively safe).

Additional procedures include processing of the trauma memory and breathing
retraining.

Question 11

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Answer 11

Founder: Dr. Patricia Resick and Dr. Candice Monson

A CBT, manualized treatment for PTSD

Four Parts:
 Educating the patient about the specific post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
symptoms and the way the treatment will help him/her.
 Informing the patient about their thoughts and feelings.
 Imparting lessons to the patient to help him/her develop skills to challenge or
question his/her own thoughts.
 Helping the patient to recognize changes in beliefs that happened after going through
the traumatic event.

Goals are to improve symptoms of PTSD and depression, anxiety, guilt and
shame

12 sessions, 50-60 minutes each.

Question 12

CPT: Stuck Points

Answer 12

“It is my fault Joe died, I am a terrible person and I deserve to be
punished,”:

 “It’s my fault Joe died,”
 “I am a terrible person,”
 “I deserve to be punished,” which all would be challenged separately,
starting with the assimilated thought, “It is my fault Joe died.”