PTSD Evidence-Based Treatment & Intervention Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Seeking Safety is an evidence-based intervention designed to address which specific dual-diagnosis combination?
- PTSD and major depressive disorder
- PTSD and co-occurring substance use disorders (Correct answer)
- PTSD and obsessive-compulsive disorder
- PTSD and eating disorders
Correct answer: PTSD and co-occurring substance use disorders
Seeking Safety was developed by Lisa Najavits specifically to treat PTSD and substance use disorders simultaneously using a present-focused, coping-skills approach.
Question 2: The Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) model is specifically designed for which population?
- Combat veterans with chronic PTSD
- First responders with acute stress reactions
- Children, adolescents, and their caregivers (Correct answer)
- Adults with complex trauma from prolonged abuse
Correct answer: Children, adolescents, and their caregivers
TF-CBT is an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents exposed to trauma, uniquely incorporating a parallel caregiver treatment component.
Question 3: In Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) for PTSD, the primary focus is on:
- Directly processing traumatic memories through repeated narration
- Teaching anxiety-management coping skills to reduce PTSD symptoms (Correct answer)
- Restructuring core trauma-related beliefs using Socratic dialogue
- Reducing avoidance through graded in vivo exposure hierarchies
Correct answer: Teaching anxiety-management coping skills to reduce PTSD symptoms
SIT targets coping skill acquisition (e.g., relaxation, breathing, thought stopping) rather than direct trauma processing.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the 'trauma narrative' phase of TF-CBT?
- The child documents trauma history in medical records only
- The child creates a detailed account of traumatic experiences shared with the caregiver at completion (Correct answer)
- The therapist narrates the event while the child listens passively
- Trauma is discussed only in caregiver sessions to protect the child
Correct answer: The child creates a detailed account of traumatic experiences shared with the caregiver at completion
In TF-CBT, the child constructs and then shares a trauma narrative with their caregiver, reducing secrecy and enabling caregiver support.
Question 5: Prazosin is prescribed as an adjunct PTSD treatment primarily to target:
- Flashbacks and re-experiencing symptoms
- Emotional numbing and anhedonia
- Trauma-related nightmares and sleep disturbance (Correct answer)
- Hypervigilance in social settings
Correct answer: Trauma-related nightmares and sleep disturbance
Prazosin, an alpha-1 adrenergic blocker, has evidence for reducing trauma-related nightmares and improving sleep quality in PTSD.
Question 6: A clinician using CPT assigns an 'Impact Statement' in the first session. What is its primary purpose?
- To measure baseline PTSD symptom severity with validated scales
- To assess the client's beliefs about why the trauma occurred and its impact on their life (Correct answer)
- To create a legal record of the traumatic event
- To evaluate the client's readiness for in vivo exposure exercises
Correct answer: To assess the client's beliefs about why the trauma occurred and its impact on their life
The Impact Statement elicits the client's current stuck points and beliefs about the trauma's meaning, guiding subsequent CPT sessions.
Question 7: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is best positioned in PTSD treatment as:
- A first-line standalone treatment replacing trauma-focused therapy
- An adjunct or preparatory intervention to build distress tolerance and present-moment awareness (Correct answer)
- The preferred treatment for acute PTSD within the first month post-trauma
- A pharmacological augmentation strategy
Correct answer: An adjunct or preparatory intervention to build distress tolerance and present-moment awareness
MBSR is not a first-line PTSD treatment but can complement trauma-focused therapies by enhancing emotion regulation and reducing avoidance.
PTSD Evidence-Based Treatment & Intervention Techniques 3
Seeking Safety is an evidence-based intervention designed to address which specific dual-diagnosis combination?