This American Life episode highlights CPT for PTSD

[cara susanna]

Ten Sessions - This American Life

A therapy that helps people work through unhealed trauma in just ten sessions.

www.thisamericanlife.org

Highly recommend listening if you have some time. It features a journalist who went through the treatment (related to a sexual assault she experienced in childhood) and recorded sessions for the podcast. Nice to see positive coverage of a PTSD EBP!

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[Justanothergrad]

Such a great episode. Bravo to the journalist too. I really like what Patricia has said about this episode as well, noting that the therapist was adapting content and approach to align with theory/client needs rather than strictly following the CPT protocol word for word. It helps to get rid of the stupid idea that EBP has to mean robotic administration of a book and that this is what those who wrote the books support.

 

[psych.meout]

Such a great episode. Bravo to the journalist too. I really like what Patricia has said about this episode as well, noting that the therapist was adapting content and approach to align with theory/client needs rather than strictly following the CPT protocol word for word. It helps to get rid of the stupid idea that EBP has to mean robotic administration of a book and that this is what those who wrote the books support.

But if EBPs aren't rigidly following treatment manuals in a "cookie cutter" or "robotic" manner, then how could we eschew all empiricism and ethics to do whatever we felt like in treatment?

 

[forcefive17]

But if EBPs aren't rigidly following treatment manuals in a "cookie cutter" or "robotic" manner, then how could we eschew all empiricism and ethics to do whatever we felt like in treatment?

I think what's meant by "robotic" is the perception that early trainees have of using treatment manuals in a verbatim sense by reading each page to the patient. The argument I've heard is that it doesn't allow for the empirically-based common factors and decreases the importance of the therapist. We know from empiricism that technique only accounts for 15% or so of the change process. The ability to form a solid relationship with a patient isn't usually discussed in CPT or PE manuals. Adhering to manuals in a "robotic" manner would be a disservice to our patients.

 

[WisNeuro]

We know from empiricism that technique only accounts for 15% or so of the change process. The ability to form a solid relationship with a patient isn't usually discussed in CPT or PE manuals. Adhering to manuals in a "robotic" manner would be a disservice to our patients.

Eh, the common factors stuff is way too oversimplified. The research is murkier than most people realize. I'd suggest a deep dive into the research. Most of the figure quoted are from collapsing things into broad categories. Technique variance most likely fluctuates quite a bit between different disorders and symptom presentations. A whole different thread, but I see this mischaracterization touted so much I had to say something.

 

[forcefive17]

Eh, the common factors stuff is way too oversimplified. The research is murkier than most people realize. I'd suggest a deep dive into the research. Most of the figure quoted are from collapsing things into broad categories. Technique variance most likely fluctuates quite a bit between different disorders and symptom presentations. A whole different thread, but I see this mischaracterization touted so much I had to say something.

I tend to agree with you RE: oversimplification in the literature. I was just attempting to illustrate that dogmatically adhering to the words on the page in the name of "empiricism" and "ethics", while ignoring other factors or straying too much from therapeutic style, will tend to lead to poor patient outcomes. Probably should have just stated it that way.

 

[WisNeuro]

I tend to agree with you RE: oversimplification in the literature. I was just attempting to illustrate that dogmatically adhering to the words on the page in the name of "empiricism" and "ethics", while ignoring other factors or straying too much from therapeutic style, will tend to lead to poor patient outcomes. Probably should have just stated it that way.

Fair, there is a lot of nuance to therapy of all types. CBT far too often gets misstated as just following a manual. If that's what someone is doing, they are not doing CBT. Opponents of CBT use that false example too much.