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United We Stand: Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Author(s) -
Greenman Paul S.,
Johnson Susan M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.21853
Subject(s) - psychology , conceptualization , posttraumatic stress , psychotherapist , interpersonal communication , exposure therapy , clinical psychology , psychiatry , anxiety , social psychology , artificial intelligence , computer science
We present emotionally focused therapy (EFT) for couples as a viable treatment option for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We outline the empirical evidence of a link between interpersonal relationships and posttraumatic stress, with an emphasis on social support as a buffer for the development of PTSD symptoms. This leads into a discussion of the usefulness of attachment theory in the conceptualization and treatment of PTSD, followed by a description of the EFT approach and its empirical evidence. We present a clinical case with excerpts from EFT couple therapy sessions in which one partner was diagnosed with PTSD. The article concludes with clinical recommendations for helping people confront and overcome the pain and the fear that PTSD provokes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Clin. Psychol. 68:1–9, 2012.