Johanna Thompson-Hollands1,2,3, Brian P Marx1,2,3, Denise M Sloan1,2,3. 1. National Center for PTSD, Boston, MA. 2. VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA. 3. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a 5-session exposure-based intervention for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). WET was developed through a series of systematic evaluations of the expressive writing procedure. It is an efficient intervention, requiring limited patient and therapist time and no between-session assignments. The treatment results in statistically and clinically significant symptom change among individuals, including veterans, with PTSD. RECENT FINDINGS: WET has been shown to be non-inferior to Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), a more intensive form of PTSD treatment. Additionally, WET resulted in substantially lower rates of treatment dropout compared to CPT (6% versus 39%). Moderator analyses of the rate of symptom change during treatment indicated that WET performed equally well for participants regardless of age, gender, comorbid depression, or estimated full scale IQ. SUMMARY: WET represents a viable option for the efficacious, brief treatment of PTSD and may have significant strengths compared to other manualized psychotherapeutic approaches.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a 5-session exposure-based intervention for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). WET was developed through a series of systematic evaluations of the expressive writing procedure. It is an efficient intervention, requiring limited patient and therapist time and no between-session assignments. The treatment results in statistically and clinically significant symptom change among individuals, including veterans, with PTSD. RECENT FINDINGS: WET has been shown to be non-inferior to Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), a more intensive form of PTSD treatment. Additionally, WET resulted in substantially lower rates of treatment dropout compared to CPT (6% versus 39%). Moderator analyses of the rate of symptom change during treatment indicated that WET performed equally well for participants regardless of age, gender, comorbid depression, or estimated full scale IQ. SUMMARY: WET represents a viable option for the efficacious, brief treatment of PTSD and may have significant strengths compared to other manualized psychotherapeutic approaches.
Authors: Lisa M Najavits; H Westley Clark; Carlo C DiClemente; Marc N Potenza; Howard J Shaffer; James L Sorensen; Matthew T Tull; Allen Zweben; Joan E Zweben Journal: Curr Treat Options Psychiatry Date: 2020-09-24