Beyond Words

Learning to Use Role-Play to Treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Authors

  • Eric Rutberg, MA, DHeD Author

Keywords:

posttraumatic stress disorder, role-play, archetypes, mental health, health education, psychobiology, biopsychology, exposure therapy

Abstract

Scholarly research conducted by former National Institute of Mental Health Director Frank

Ochberg (2006), the American Psychological Association (2003), and Rosenberg et al.

(2001) show that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), especially exposure therapy, is

effective in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on a psychobiological level. Yet

according to studies by Becker, Zayfert, and Anderson (2003) and Cahill, Foa, Hembree,

Marshall, and Nacash (2006), many psychologists and master’s-level clinicians do not

include an exposure therapy component in their treatment of PTSD.

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Published

2024-03-19