Prolonged Exposure for PTSD in Intensive Outpatient Programs (PE-IOP)

Abstract

Trauma can leave a lasting impact on survivors. Some survivors are haunted by intrusive memories; avoid people, places, and situations related to the trauma; and feel constantly on edge due to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related posttrauma reactions. Effective treatment can help survivors suffering with PTSD to process the trauma and no longer feel haunted by traumatic experiences from their past. Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy is a highly effective, flexible, individualized psychotherapy that reduces the symptoms of PTSD. PE is the most widely studied treatment for PTSD, with more than 100 studies showing its efficacy and effectiveness in PTSD and comorbid patient populations affected by single-incident and multiple-incident traumas of all types (e.g., combat, sexual assault, etc.). This manual presents a PE protocol for use in residential and massed programs to provide an innovative new model of care that provides excellent retention and transformational symptom outcomes. Providers are presented with the elements of the PE protocol along with all the logistics for how to provide PE in an intensive outpatient program. Variations and considerations for implementation are presented to allow providers designing programs to consider what best fits their patient population and setting. Patient and provider forms are included for use.