Clinical Psychology
Summary
Ehlers & White 0
Several theories of PTSD: 1
Cognitive behavioral treatments for PTSD 2
CT-PTSD 2
Hill & Harris 3
Theories of addiction 4
Cognitive Behavioural Approach Addiction 4
Change, motivation, and MI 4
Comorbid problems 5
CBTp and psychosis 8
Stages of treatment 9
Different types of CBTp 9
Efficacy of CBTp 10
White & Cheung 10
Generalized anxiety disorder 11
Panic disorder and agoraphobia 11
Social anxiety disorder 12
Specific phobia 13
Separation anxiety disorder 14
Selective mutism 14
Lecture slides 15
Week 1 15
Week 2 15
Week 3 17
Week 4 18
Week 5 18
Week 6 19
Week 8 21
, Ehlers & White
PTSD
● What prevents some people from recovering from PTSD symptoms after a traumatic
event?
● Which factors can prevent change, and how can they be addressed in cognitive behavior
therapy?
Several theories of PTSD:
Avoidance behavior prevents the extinction of conditioned responses → early exposure
treatment
People suffering from PTSD often have delayed extinction and overgeneralized conditioned
responses
Through learned associations, the stimuli become associated with strong affective responses,
which can generalize to other stimuli. Perceptual priming and associative learning are thought
to lead to easy detection in the environment.
However, several theorists pointed out three factors that play a role in maintaining PTSD
symptoms (Ehlers & Clark’s, 2000).
● Features of trauma memories
● Negative meanings of the trauma
● Avoidance
The cognitive strategies that people have to maintain their perceived threat consist of;
● Rumination
● Avoidance/Reminders
● Substance use
● Safety behaviors
● Suppression of memories
Emotional processing theories of anxiety: Forms the theoretical framework for prolonged
exposure. A network of associations in memory that includes excessive stimulus and response
elements. The fear structure could be changed by activating it and presenting it with
incompatible information.
1
, Changes to cognitive schema are central to the understanding and treatment of PTSD.
People with PTSD over-accommodate trauma-relevant information by having an “all-or-nothing”
belief system
Ehlers & White believe in two basic dysfunctional cognitions in people with PTSD
● The world is completely dangerous
● I am incompetent
External threats can result from appraisals about impending danger, leading to excessive fear,
whereas internal threats come from negative appraisals about one's behavior, emotions or
reactions during the trauma.
Cognitive behavioral treatments for PTSD
The APA strongly recommends for PTSD:
● Cognitive processing therapy
● Cognitive therapy
● Prolonged exposure therapy
● Cognitive behavioral therapy (combines imaginal exposure, in vivo exposure, and
cognitive work)
● Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
● Brief eclectic psychotherapy
● Narrative exposure therapy
Effective trauma-focused therapy have these 6 ingredients in common. This is explained in
more detail in week 8 of the lecture slides.
● Psychoeducation
● Exposure
● Changing personal meanings
● Dealing with a range of emotions
● Emotion regulation
● Changing memories
In the first 12 to 18 months after a
traumatic event, there is a substantial
rate of natural remission to PTSD
symptoms. This raises the question of
when and whether treatment should be
given.
2
Summary
Ehlers & White 0
Several theories of PTSD: 1
Cognitive behavioral treatments for PTSD 2
CT-PTSD 2
Hill & Harris 3
Theories of addiction 4
Cognitive Behavioural Approach Addiction 4
Change, motivation, and MI 4
Comorbid problems 5
CBTp and psychosis 8
Stages of treatment 9
Different types of CBTp 9
Efficacy of CBTp 10
White & Cheung 10
Generalized anxiety disorder 11
Panic disorder and agoraphobia 11
Social anxiety disorder 12
Specific phobia 13
Separation anxiety disorder 14
Selective mutism 14
Lecture slides 15
Week 1 15
Week 2 15
Week 3 17
Week 4 18
Week 5 18
Week 6 19
Week 8 21
, Ehlers & White
PTSD
● What prevents some people from recovering from PTSD symptoms after a traumatic
event?
● Which factors can prevent change, and how can they be addressed in cognitive behavior
therapy?
Several theories of PTSD:
Avoidance behavior prevents the extinction of conditioned responses → early exposure
treatment
People suffering from PTSD often have delayed extinction and overgeneralized conditioned
responses
Through learned associations, the stimuli become associated with strong affective responses,
which can generalize to other stimuli. Perceptual priming and associative learning are thought
to lead to easy detection in the environment.
However, several theorists pointed out three factors that play a role in maintaining PTSD
symptoms (Ehlers & Clark’s, 2000).
● Features of trauma memories
● Negative meanings of the trauma
● Avoidance
The cognitive strategies that people have to maintain their perceived threat consist of;
● Rumination
● Avoidance/Reminders
● Substance use
● Safety behaviors
● Suppression of memories
Emotional processing theories of anxiety: Forms the theoretical framework for prolonged
exposure. A network of associations in memory that includes excessive stimulus and response
elements. The fear structure could be changed by activating it and presenting it with
incompatible information.
1
, Changes to cognitive schema are central to the understanding and treatment of PTSD.
People with PTSD over-accommodate trauma-relevant information by having an “all-or-nothing”
belief system
Ehlers & White believe in two basic dysfunctional cognitions in people with PTSD
● The world is completely dangerous
● I am incompetent
External threats can result from appraisals about impending danger, leading to excessive fear,
whereas internal threats come from negative appraisals about one's behavior, emotions or
reactions during the trauma.
Cognitive behavioral treatments for PTSD
The APA strongly recommends for PTSD:
● Cognitive processing therapy
● Cognitive therapy
● Prolonged exposure therapy
● Cognitive behavioral therapy (combines imaginal exposure, in vivo exposure, and
cognitive work)
● Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
● Brief eclectic psychotherapy
● Narrative exposure therapy
Effective trauma-focused therapy have these 6 ingredients in common. This is explained in
more detail in week 8 of the lecture slides.
● Psychoeducation
● Exposure
● Changing personal meanings
● Dealing with a range of emotions
● Emotion regulation
● Changing memories
In the first 12 to 18 months after a
traumatic event, there is a substantial
rate of natural remission to PTSD
symptoms. This raises the question of
when and whether treatment should be
given.
2
