Over the past year I’ve taught multiple workshops on “CBT for Depression in the Military” to both uniformed and civilian providers, and one of the things I’ve noticed is that participants are often unfamiliar with the general structure of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions.
Everyone knows that sleep is vital to an individual's well-being. However, new research is suggesting that sleep is also important to the effective treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
As both a therapist using Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) with my PTSD patients and a CPT Trainer, I was eagerly awaiting the revision of the treatment manual. And my wait was finally over in May 2014! But then I found I was faced with a dilemma - do I throw out my old manual along with notes and reprint the new one? Or can I simply keep the old manual and replace a few pages here and there. It seems others were wondering also given the number of times during trainings and within my own clinic I've been asked this. So, I did an in-depth comparison of the two manuals, and here is what I found along with my suggestions.
Socratic Dialogue is a well-known and often used method of assisting clients to identify potentially harmful thoughts and then challenge their thinking. This approach is based on the practice of disciplined, thoughtful dialogue devised by Socrates and delivered between therapist and client.
Even though PTSD is an important topic year-round, it takes the forefront this month as June is National PTSD Awareness Month. In 2010, Congress designated June 27th as PTSD Awareness Day. Since then many organizations, including the Center for Deployment Psychology, have attempted to highlight PTSD and provide resources for behavioral health providers, as well as those in need. Below you will find links to a variety of resources and organizations that may assist in the treatment of PTSD.