A Brief Exposure-Based Intervention for Service Members With PTSD

The growing number of service members in need of mental health care requires that empirically based interventions be tailored to the unique demands and exigencies of this population. We discuss a 6-session intervention for combat-related PTSD designed to foster willingness to engage with and disclose difficult deployment memories through a combination of imaginal exposure and subsequent cognitive restructuring and meaning-making strategies. Core corrective elements of existing PTSD treatments are incorporated and expanded, including techniques designed to specifically address traumatic loss and moral conflict.