ISTSS prevention and treatment guidelines

Guidelines for the treatment of adults, children, and adolescents at risk of developing PTSD or Complex PTSD published by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Recommendations include EMDR therapy for children, adolescents, and adults with post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Treatment Guideline Overview

“Based on extensive reviews of the clinical research literature, the ISTSS Prevention and Treatment Guidelines are intended to assist clinicians who provide prevention and treatment interventions for children, adolescents, and adults with or at risk of developing PTSD and Complex PTSD. The ISTSS Guidelines Committee, established in 2015, developed the guidelines to replace the previous versions published in 2009 and 2012.

The updated guidelines have several components: The full methodology and recommendations are publicly available with open access, as are two position papers on complex PTSD. These documents represent a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of high quality research evidence that is likely to help practitioners in their work. The evidence summaries that generated the recommendations, along with reference lists of included studies, are available to download for ISTSS members only.

The final component, the third edition of Effective Treatments for PTSD, published September 2, 2020, focuses on providing practitioners with more detailed guidance on the use of the recommendations and position papers to inform clinical practice.”

—Description from source

Treatment Guideline Access

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. (n.d.). ISTSS prevention and treatment guidelines. ISTSS.  https://istss.org/clinical-resources/trauma-treatment/istss-prevention-and-treatment-guidelines/

Additional related resources

Open Access or Purchase/Subscription Required 

Bisson, J. I., Berliner, L., Cloitre, M., Forbes, D., Jensen, T. K., Lewis, C., Monson, C. M., Olff, M., Pilling, S., Riggs, D. S., Roberts, N. P., & Shapiro, F. (2019). The International Society for Traumatic Stress studies new guidelines for the prevention and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Methodology and development process. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32(4), 475-483. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22421

Forbes, D., Bisson, J. I., Monson, C. M., & Berliner, L. (2020). Effective treatments for PTSD (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. https://www.guilford.com/books/Effective-Treatments-for-PTSD/Forbes-Bisson-Monson-Berliner/9781462543564

International Society for Traumatic Stress. (n. d.). Adult prevention and early treatment for PTSD guidelines summary. https://istss.org/clinical-resources/trauma-treatment/adult-prevention-and-early-treatment-for-ptsd/

About the Source

“ISTSS is committed to supporting the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based and emerging best practices for individuals suffering from traumatic stress.”

—Description from source