Written Exposure Therapy as Step One in Reducing the Burden of PTSD: The Composite Cases of "Alex," "Bruno," and "Charles"

Austern, David

doi:10.14713/pcsp.v13i2.2003

Cited by 3 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In closing, we appreciate and are impressed with the work done and described by Austern (2017) in his case studies. He nicely describes his efforts to use the WET protocol with several different composite patients with varying degrees of success.…”

Section: The Implementation Of Wet By Austernmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Following the changes to the expressive writing protocol we named the new protocol Written Exposure Therapy (WET). Austern (2017) indicated that we developed WET for the Department of Veteran Affairs, but this is incorrect. We are both currently investigators at the National Center for PTSD housed within the Department of Veteran Affairs.…”

Section: Development Of Wetmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, we caution that there is limited efficacy data for using WET with veterans and service members. As Austern (2017) (Sloan, Lee, Litwack, Sawyer, & Marx, 2013); and also, we are currently conducting a non-inferiority study in which we are comparing WET with the CPT-cognitive only protocol (CPT-C) with a sample of active duty service members. Lastly, we have a grant under review at the Department of Veteran Affairs to conduct a comparative effectiveness study of WET with a sample of veterans.…”

Section: Special Ptsd Treatment Considerations For Veteran and Activementioning

confidence: 99%

“…

ABSTRACTWe provide commentary on the article by Austern (2017) in which several composite PTSD treatment cases with veteran clients are presented. Written Exposure Therapy (WET) was implemented in each case, with varying levels of success.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the Implementation of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) with Veterans Diagnosed with PTSD

Sloan¹,

Marx²

2017

PCSP

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We provide commentary on the article by Austern (2017) in which several composite PTSD treatment cases with veteran clients are presented. Written Exposure Therapy (WET) was implemented in each case, with varying levels of success. We provide additional background on the development of WET to provide readers with a better understanding of how this treatment was created. We also describe the available efficacy data supporting the use of WET as well as describe efficacy studies that are currently underway. Lastly, we comment on Austern's use of WET in the three composite veteran cases that are described.Key words: PTSD; military combat; veterans; trauma; exposure therapy; composite case studies; clinical case studies ____________________________________________________________________________We read Austern's case study paper with great interest and are pleased to have an opportunity to comment. In this commentary, we first provide a background on how written exposure therapy (WET) was developed and describe the efficacy data to support its use. Following this, we will discuss the manner and methods in which WET was used by Austern. Throughout our commentary we will refer to the empirical data on PTSD treatment and the gaps in the literature, especially related to treating military service members and veterans. DEVELOPMENT OF WETBecause only a partial description of the development of WET is provided by Austern, we want to describe how WET was developed, as well as offer the reader an understanding of the mechanism by which exposure-based treatments for PTSD work. A thorough description of the development of WET will enable a better understanding of the theoretical model underlying the treatment, which in turn provides a better understanding in the ways the treatment should and should not be altered.

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Section: The Implementation Of Wet By Austernmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Development Of Wetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Special Ptsd Treatment Considerations For Veteran and Activementioning

confidence: 99%

“…

…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the Implementation of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) with Veterans Diagnosed with PTSD

Sloan¹,

Marx²

2017

PCSP

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“…The case report by Austern (2017) is an excellent example of varying the method and intensity of exposure-based therapy in an effort to reach those veterans who have not opted for the traditional protocol. More specifically, the author argues that first offering a briefer treatment that minimizes homework and face-to-face time with a therapist may be more acceptable to veterans who are reluctant to commit to a longer protocol.…”

Section: Stepped-care Models Of Ptsd Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stepped-Care Approaches to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Sharpening Tools for the Clinician

Cigrang¹,

Peterson²

2017

PCSP

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Austern (2017) presents three composite Veteran case studies using Written Exposure Therapy (WET; Sloan, Lee, Litwack, Sawyer, & Marx, 2013) as a first-level intervention in a larger stepped-care model for PTSD. The relatively minimalist WET intervention may be appealing to Veterans with PTSD who have opted not to seek out more time and therapist-intensive treatments. In addition, writing has been used effectively in other protocols as a method of achieving exposure to memories of traumatic experiences. Austern's three cases demonstrate a range of success in using WET to engage Veterans in evidence-based treatment and reduce suffering associated with PTSD. We comment on the current status of the research literature on stepped-care models for PTSD, the potential value of incorporating Motivational Interviewing principles and specific homework tasks into these efforts, and the promise that abbreviated interventions and stepped-care approaches may hold for helping clinicians manage their clinical caseloads and avoid burnout.

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Written Exposure Therapy: The Case for Latinos

Benuto

Bennett

2019

Clinical Case Studies

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Despite the substantial impact of trauma and subsequent posttraumatic stress in the Latino population, Latinos often underutilize services to address symptoms. Furthermore, research is still lacking regarding the effectiveness of evidence-based treatments, specifically for Latinos. We review the case of a 29-year-old Latina diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who presented with intrusive memories, nightmares, and negative affect. The client’s progress in treatment was hindered by extreme emotion dysregulation when asked to engage in imaginal exposure, leading her to contemplate premature termination of therapy. Thus, prolonged exposure therapy (PET) was modified based on written exposure therapy to successfully treat the client. Treatment success was reflected in both the client’s self-report and PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) (PCL-5) scores at pre- and posttreatment. From this case study, we can conclude that (a) PET can be effectively modified during treatment to include written exposures if the client cannot participate in imaginal exposure; (b) such treatment may be effective for Latinos experiencing posttraumatic stress; and (c) cultural and logistical factors affecting client participation and utilization of services should be addressed in treatment.

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Written Exposure Therapy as Step One in Reducing the Burden of PTSD: The Composite Cases of "Alex," "Bruno," and "Charles"

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

On the Implementation of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) with Veterans Diagnosed with PTSD

On the Implementation of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) with Veterans Diagnosed with PTSD

Stepped-Care Approaches to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Sharpening Tools for the Clinician

Written Exposure Therapy: The Case for Latinos

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