Therapist use of cognitive behavior therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing components for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in practice settings
This study surveyed therapists to examine use of EMDR and CBT for PTSD treatment to help determine best practices for implementation.
Article Abstract
“Introduction: Treatment practice guidelines for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recommend both Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT); however, implementation in practice setting remains challenging. Here we aim to foster implementation efforts for PTSD by identifying the relative use of the various components of empirically supported treatments by therapists and the characteristics that predict their use.
Methods: Surveyed 346 therapists (84.07% female) of whom 272 participants (78.61%) were trained primarily in CBT and 135 participants (39.02%) were trained in primarily in EMDR. Assessed relative use of various EMDR and CBT components as well as several training and personality factors.
Results: Psychoeducation about trauma was the most common element used. “Off label” use of components was also identified with application of EMDR techniques to other diagnoses. Findings also suggest underutilization of in vivo exposure techniques across therapists. EMDR therapists reported relatively high use of core EMDR techniques (i.e., greater use of EMDR core techniques). Big five personality factors, therapy efficacy, and anxiety were associated with differential component use.
Discussion: Results identify trends in empirically supported component use and therapist characteristics that are associated with the use of various techniques for PTSD. The findings suggest implementation efforts could foster training in underused techniques, address barriers to their utilization and develop knowledge of effective packages of components.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Neill, E. L., Zarling, A., & Weems, C. F. (2023). Therapist use of cognitive behavior therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing components for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in practice settings. Frontiers in Psychology, 14: 1158344. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1158344
Date
October 18, 2023
Creator(s)
Erin L. Neill, Amie Zarling, Carl F. Weems
Topics
PTSD
Practice & Methods
Your EMDR Practice
Extent
11 pages
Publisher
Frontiers
Rights
© 2023 Neill, Zarling and Weems. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
APA Citation
Neill, E. L., Zarling, A., & Weems, C. F. (2023). Therapist use of cognitive behavior therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing components for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in practice settings. Frontiers in Psychology, 14: 1158344. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1158344
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals, Trainers
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
