Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD:
4-Day Intensive Provider Training

Are you interested in learning how to effectively treat your most challenging trauma cases? Chronic PTSD can be a particularly difficult condition for even the most seasoned clinician to treat and without the proper tools or roadmap can leave the therapist feeling helpless and ineffective while the client continues suffering from this debilitating condition. While some people can recover from experiencing a traumatic event without lingering symptoms, some individuals develop a series of complicated symptoms that interfere with their daily life and may be indicative of a PTSD diagnosis. These symptoms may include things like intrusive memories or flashbacks, distressing dreams, avoidance of specific people, places or things that remind one of the trauma, irritability, or angry outbursts, being easily startled or frightened, trouble concentrating or sleeping and more. Experiencing trauma is not rare. Many people will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lifetime. It is estimated that about 60% of men and 50% of women will experience a traumatic event at least one time in their life (PTSD, VA.gov). These numbers demonstrate the need for therapists to be well prepared to treat PTSD quickly and effectively. 

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) is a highly effective evidenced based treatment that was developed to treat individuals suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder quickly (8 to 15 sessions) and effectively. PE was developed by Edna Foa, Director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and continues to be regarded as one of the most effective treatments for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This intensive 4-day program lead by Certified Prolonged Exposure Trainer Stephanie Hamski will provide advanced training in Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy. Over the course of these 4 days, the basic components of PE will be covered as well as, the theoretical and empirical support for PE. Attendees will receive session by session instruction on how to conduct PE Therapy while utilizing the PE manual. Attendees will also receive instruction in how to modify PE procedures to tailor the treatment to the individual client’s experience. Learning will take place using a variety of formats including: lecture, discussion, videotaped therapy sessions, participant role plays with feedback from instructor. 

Attendees will leave this workshop with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively implement PE therapy in their clinical practice. Completion of this course is the first step to become a Certified PE Therapist. This course has been approved by the Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) at UPenn.