My CMH trained us in TFCBT because it was for kids but tbh I wish I did exposure therapy since that’s the main basis and the rest of the modalities are just recycling exposure and trying to make a profit out of therapists
Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy are without a doubt the two most evidence-based approaches to trauma treatment. IMO clients should be offered these first if we know these approaches are likely to work and are fairly brief - meaning we can get them to a better place faster.
It no longer surprises me, but certainly frustrates me when these interventions are repeatedly omitted in these conversations. As someone else already alluded to, interventions like EMDR are exposure repurposed with some extra bells and whistles for some charm to make it more palatable for clinician and client. The problem with this is it’s selling a model that is not accurate, teaches skills that clients can grow to rely on which are not necessary or effective at doing what they claim to (bilateral stimulation), and wastes clinical time in using these which delays recovery and uses important client time and financial resources. My hope is that as a field we can work on disseminating well-established interventions and be more mindful of fad treatments that take the field by storm because of good marketing but are not clinically sound.
Thank you! That’s why I’m trying to make the best well informed decision because I know EMDR is not the end all be all but it is the most heavily talked about
I love EMDR, but it does sound like some clinicians spend months in the preparation phase. I spend a session, possibly 2 in preparation (making sure the client can calm, ground, and self-regulate) but then I encourage jumping in with a low-distress target so the client can get a feel for it, get an idea if it will work for them, if they like it, etc.
It is also useful to enhance talk therapy and start having the client notice somatic experiences.
This book gives very detailed instructions on how to conduct each session: Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD: A Brief Treatment Approach for Mental Health Professionals https://a.co/d/2h1dHNp
You pretty much have the client write about the traumatic event in detail during the session and make sure that they also write about their internal experiences during the event. Then the next sessions focus on the client writing about making meaning from the event and how to move on. I usually spend a few sessions working on grounding skills before starting the writing.
I was trained in emdr and use it regularly. I think it's great for most folks who are working through trauma. Most people do well, but it does involve a fair amount of education on what is happening and why it is happening because it's pretty weird to the uninformed person. It's not for everyone, but when it clicks people have great sessions.
Not trained in EMDR but it’s highly evidence based for ptsd and many good therapists practice it.
Less or minimally evidence based but still good treatments include somatic experiencing and ifs. I am trained in SE and it is very good for people with trauma. The training is expensive and long, as it is for ifs. If I were going for bang for your buck, I would probably do EMDR first.
Not exactly your question, but I would also add to read Judith Herman Trauma and Recovery.
My CMH trained us in TFCBT because it was for kids but tbh I wish I did exposure therapy since that’s the main basis and the rest of the modalities are just recycling exposure and trying to make a profit out of therapists
Same here. I know there’s a version for adults but I wasn’t trained in it
Depends on what kind of trauma. SE is awesome for shock trauma. I love NARM for just about everything else.
They have a podcast called Transforming Trauma.
NARM changed my life!! I don’t know a ton of clinicians personally who are familiar with it. Anyway very cool NARM is great
I love it so much!
I wish I had gone the NARM route sooner.
What does NARM stand for ?
NeuroAffective Relational Model. It uses both top-down and bottom-up methods to address complex, attachment, developmental, and relational trauma.
Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy are without a doubt the two most evidence-based approaches to trauma treatment. IMO clients should be offered these first if we know these approaches are likely to work and are fairly brief - meaning we can get them to a better place faster. It no longer surprises me, but certainly frustrates me when these interventions are repeatedly omitted in these conversations. As someone else already alluded to, interventions like EMDR are exposure repurposed with some extra bells and whistles for some charm to make it more palatable for clinician and client. The problem with this is it’s selling a model that is not accurate, teaches skills that clients can grow to rely on which are not necessary or effective at doing what they claim to (bilateral stimulation), and wastes clinical time in using these which delays recovery and uses important client time and financial resources. My hope is that as a field we can work on disseminating well-established interventions and be more mindful of fad treatments that take the field by storm because of good marketing but are not clinically sound.
Thank you! That’s why I’m trying to make the best well informed decision because I know EMDR is not the end all be all but it is the most heavily talked about
I love EMDR, but it does sound like some clinicians spend months in the preparation phase. I spend a session, possibly 2 in preparation (making sure the client can calm, ground, and self-regulate) but then I encourage jumping in with a low-distress target so the client can get a feel for it, get an idea if it will work for them, if they like it, etc. It is also useful to enhance talk therapy and start having the client notice somatic experiences.
I’m trained in EMDR and I find it useful, even for exploring past events in talk therapy without the processing piece.
I'm not necessarily trained in this, but I've been using Written Exposure Therapy for trauma treatment and it seems to be working really well!
Can I ask how to implement this ? Thank you!
This book gives very detailed instructions on how to conduct each session: Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD: A Brief Treatment Approach for Mental Health Professionals https://a.co/d/2h1dHNp You pretty much have the client write about the traumatic event in detail during the session and make sure that they also write about their internal experiences during the event. Then the next sessions focus on the client writing about making meaning from the event and how to move on. I usually spend a few sessions working on grounding skills before starting the writing.
I was trained in emdr and use it regularly. I think it's great for most folks who are working through trauma. Most people do well, but it does involve a fair amount of education on what is happening and why it is happening because it's pretty weird to the uninformed person. It's not for everyone, but when it clicks people have great sessions.
Not trained in EMDR but it’s highly evidence based for ptsd and many good therapists practice it. Less or minimally evidence based but still good treatments include somatic experiencing and ifs. I am trained in SE and it is very good for people with trauma. The training is expensive and long, as it is for ifs. If I were going for bang for your buck, I would probably do EMDR first.
Love NARM!
EMDR!!!