Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD Harnessing the Healing Power of Relationships

Presenting an evidence-based treatment for couples in which one or both partners suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this step-by-step manual is packed with practical clinical guidance and tools. The therapy is carefully structured to address both PTSD symptoms and associated relationship difficulties in a time-limited framework. It is grounded in cutting-edge knowledge about interpersonal aspects of trauma and its treatment. Detailed session outlines and therapist scripts facilitate the entire process of assessment, case conceptualization, and intervention. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book includes more than 45 reproducible handouts and forms.

Candice M. Monson, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is also an Affiliate of the Women's Health Sciences Division of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, where she previously served as Deputy Director. Dr. Monson's research and publications focus on interpersonal factors in traumatization and couple-based interventions for PTSD. Steffany J. Fredman, PhD, is a staff psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical and research interests focus on the interpersonal context of individual psychopathology and health, and she delivers couple-based treatment for a variety of individual psychopathologies and medical conditions. Together, Drs. Monson and Fredman are the codevelopers of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD.

I. Background and Overview of CBCT for PTSD 1. An Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy 2. Initial Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Working with Complex Cases II. CBCT for PTSD Treatment Manual Phase 1. Rationale for Treatment and Education about PTSD and Relationships Session 1. Introduction to Treatment Session 2. Safety Building Phase 2. Satisfaction Enhancement and Undermining Avoidance Session 3. Listening and Approaching Session 4. Sharing Thoughts and Feelings: Emphasis on Feelings Session 5. Sharing Thoughts and Feelings: Emphasis on Thoughts Session 6. Getting U.N.S.T.U.C.K. Session 7. Problem Solving to Shrink PTSD Phase 3. Making Meaning of the Trauma(s) and End of Therapy Session 8. Acceptance Session 9. Blame Session10. Trust Session 11. Control Session 12. Emotional Closeness Session 13. Physical Closeness Session 14. Posttraumatic Growth Session 15. Review and Reinforcement of Treatment Gains