Common Reactions to Trauma

Chapter 5 explores common reactions to trauma, including fear and anxiety, feeling on edge, re-experiencing, avoidance, emotional numbness, anger, guilt, feelings of losing control, depression, along with ways to understand reactions to trauma.

End of Treatment

Chapter 10 explores the final unit of the treatment process, and discusses progress that has been made, the client's feelings about the end of the treatment program.

Recounting the Memory

Chapter 7 explores recounting the memory, the rationale for recounting memories and the positive effects it will have. The therapist will guide recounting the memory of the trauma and help process the memory.

Getting Started

Chapter 4 introduces the treatment processes, the trauma interview, techniques to overcome fears, negative thoughts and beliefs, and support. Breathing exercises and Secret Weapons are detailed.

Setting the Stage for Treatment

Chapter 3 discusses confidentiality and privacy in the therapy sessions. Parental involvement is considered, along with planning for crises and identifying any other hurdles to participating in therapy.

Overview

Chapter 1 presents an overview of the treatment program, and explores what posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is, what prolonged exposure therapy for adolescents (PE-A) entails, emotional processing theory, and outlines the treatment program's structure.

Worst Moments

Chapter 8 further discusses recounting and processing the memory of the trauma, with particular focus on the worst and most difficult moments of the trauma memory.

Real-Life Experiments

Chapter 6 discusses the problem with a avoidance, real-life experiments and how they work, the use of the stress thermometer, and instructions for completing real-life experiments and keeping track of progress.

Relapse Prevention

Chapter 9 outlines strategies for preventing relapse, including the identification of triggers, planning coping strategies, reviewing tools, and completing a final project before the completion of the therapy sessions.

Is This Treatment Right for You?

Chapter 2 encourages the client to consider if this treatment is right for them, make a list of their life domains that have been disrupted as a result of the trauma, to think about potential benefits and costs of participating in the therapy, and areas that they might find difficult.