Chapter Six Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- The goal of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder is to stop clients re-experiencing the trauma. Paradoxically this is achieved by a deliberate specific focus on the details of the trauma by variously writing about it, reading over an account out loud daily until the trauma is simply remembered.
- PTSD treatment can be a challenge to the therapeutic alliance in that client’s are committed to blocking the memory, whilst the therapist is suggesting confronting the memory, the impasse can be resolved by focussing on ‘better ways’ of handling the traumatic memory.
- Dare PTSD clients to gradually tackle what they have been avoiding.
- Social support is the biggest predictor of recovery from PTSD and a family member/friend of the client should if possible be asked to attend at least some of the sessions.
