Treatment Overview

Learn about effective treatments for PTSD including various ways trauma therapy can be delivered. Take a course on improving the effective use of therapy or medication, or sign up to receive regular clinical updates.

Treatment Basics

• Overview of Psychotherapy for PTSD
  Reviews clinical practice guidelines for PTSD treatment. Includes discussion of research underlying unanimous support of cognitive behavioral therapies.
• Treatments for PTSD (PDF)
  This issue of the PTSD Research Quarterly from 2008 describes the evidence for PTSD psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.
• PTSD Assessment and Treatment in Older Adults
  Discusses assessment strategies and treatment interventions for older adults based upon patient age and the broader context of aging processes.

Evidence-Based Treatments

• Overview of the VA/DoD 2010 Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD
  This PTSD 101 online course provides an overview of the 2010 revised VA/DoD clinical practice guideline recommendations for psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy treatment of PTSD.
• Overview of the VA/DoD 2010 Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD
  The 2010 VA/DoD Guideline describes critical decision points in Management of Traumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Reaction. Provides recommendations for practitioners throughout the DoD and VA Health Care systems.
• Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapies
  This PTSD 101 online course outlines cognitive-behavioral theories of Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD.
• Cognitive Processing Therapy
  This PTSD 101 online course provides an overview of the Clinical Practice Guideline for the use of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to treat patients with PTSD, including a review of empirical evidence and a demonstration of clinical application.
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy
  This PTSD 101 online course provides an overview of the Clinical Practice Guideline for the use of Prolonged Exposure (PE) to treat patients with PTSD, including a review of empirical evidence and a demonstration of clinical application.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)
  This PTSD 101 online course reviews the VA/DoD 2010 clinical practice guideline recommendations regarding Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) for PTSD. Provides overview of components of each treatment and presents the research evidence.
• Clinician's Guide to Medications for PTSD
  Discusses evidence and general neurobiology for use of medications to treat PTSD, including effectiveness, common barriers, and important considerations.
• Pharmacological Treatment
  This PTSD 101 online course discusses the human stress system, neurotransmitters, and PTSD. Reviews controlled medication trials, combined treatments, and managing comorbid conditions.
• Psychopharmacology of PTSD
  A video for mental health care providers explaining how medications target symptoms of PTSD. Reviews mechanisms and efficacy of various pharmacological treatments.
• Recommendations for Pharmacological Treatment of Acute Stress Reactions
  Discusses treatment alternatives for acute traumatic stress reactions, who should receive treatment, when treatment should begin, and what medications should be prescribed.

Enhancing Treatment Access and Effectiveness

• Using AboutFace: Real PTSD Stories
  An online video gallery dedicated to Veterans talking about living with PTSD and how PTSD treatment turned their lives around. AboutFace can be used as a teaching tool and resource to share with other providers, students, or clients.
• Increasing Effectiveness of PTSD Treatments
  This PTSD 101 online course addresses how to increase the effectiveness of evidence-based treatments for PTSD, particularly in difficult cases and situations.
• Enhancing PTSD Treatment and Delivery
  Discusses new treatment, accessibility, and delivery strategies for PTSD care, including the use of technology, combined therapies, or other techniques.

Other Treatment Methods

• Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and PTSD
  This PTSD 101 online course provides an overview of the Clinical Practice Guideline for the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for PTSD, including research evidence and recommendations.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  This PTSD 101 online course describes the theories underlying ACT, illustrates the clinical application of ACT for PTSD, and reviews the limited empirical support for ACT applied to PTSD patients.
• Group Treatment for PTSD
  This PTSD 101 online course reviews the VA/DoD 2010 Clinical Practice Guideline recommendations regarding group therapy for PTSD. Includes critical evaluation of research support for group therapy.
• Couples and PTSD
  This PTSD 101 online course describes research on PTSD and intimate relationship problems. Discusses rationale and methods for including partners and loved ones in assessment and treatment.
• Potential of Mindfulness in Treating Trauma Reactions
  Discusses therapies that incorporate mindfulness practices and presents research suggesting clinical utility for trauma survivors.
• PTSD and Telemental Health
  Describes how clinicians use various technologies to deliver mental health care while eliminating travel. Discusses clinical considerations and pros and cons of telemedicine for patients with PTSD.

Resources

• Clinician's Trauma Update - Online (CTU-Online)
  CTU-Online is for busy clinicians who want to keep up with the latest clinically-relevant trauma research. Subscribers receive summaries via email every two months.
• Web Links: Treatment
  This section provides web resources to assist trauma survivors in coping. Also provides information for providers, such as clinical practice guidelines.