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This introductory paper for the Special Series on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) provides an overview of the psychological literature on chronic PTSD. We describe the symptoms of PTSD, the common associated features of the disorder, and common themes in the clinical presentation of traumatized individuals. Epidemiological studies are reviewed that reveal the widespread occurrence of potentially traumatizing events and the prevalence of PTSD among traumatized populations. We next provide an overview of psychological assessment procedures. This is followed by a description of three psychological theories of PTSD that have received a good deal of attention along with their implications for treatment. Two of the most widely applied treatments of PTSD are next reviewed in some detail: direct therapeutic exposure therapy and stress management approaches. Finally, we introduce the six papers that follow in the series in the context of a brief discussion of directions for future research in the field of chronic PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new strategy for bridging the gap between psychotherapy process research and practice. Constructs covering the full spectrum of potential change mechanisms are derived from a general theory of human functioning (Grawe's Consistency Theory) and operationalized by Therapy Spectrum Analysis (TSA), a measure of the realization of therapeutic change mechanisms within individual therapy sessions. Using the data generated by TSA, we conducted an exploratory search for meaningful patterns of process and session-outcome variables using Answer Tree as a context-sensitive method of data analysis. Results show that process-activated resources of the patients, in particular their responsiveness to interventions and motivation are especially predictive of the session productivity experienced. Further analyses were conducted to uncover how the patients' participation can be promoted and results translate into guidelines for the session-to-session decisions by clinicians. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reviews what is currently known about sexual abuse and the treatment of the offenders. Sexual offending is primarily committed by males and as many as 50% of females and 33% of males are sexually victimized in some way during their life. While some of these acts involve minimally intrusive behaviours (e.g. exhibitionists), many involve forced vaginal or anal intercourse and varying degrees of associated physical violence and deliberate humiliation of the victim. The effects on the victim can be severe and long-lasting. Current theories of the aetiology of these behaviours incorporate biological and developmental factors occurring within a socio-cultural context that fails to discourage sexual abuse. Experience is said to create a vulnerability that in some men finds expression in sexually abusive behaviour. Appropriate assessment targets the issues that are addressed in treatment, including: cognitive distortions, sexual behaviours and attitudes, social functioning and substance abuse. In addition, treatment also attempts to generate a set of relapse prevention plans for each offender. While some reports have not found benefits for treatment, the majority of acceptable studies have demonstrated clear reductions in re-offending among treated sexual offenders. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a programme for inpatients with severe personality disorders as well as acute exacerbation of Axis II pathology. The goal of the programme was to quickly stabilize participants with respect to self-injurious behaviour and return them to the community. The programme consisted of frequent coordinated cognitive group therapy sessions with supporting written and audiovisual materials. The groups were open-ended and heterogenous, and employed educational and experiential-affective components. An extended group case example is presented in order to illustrate the operation of the programme. The range of typical participants is described, including their diagnoses, treatment plans, and homework assignments. Some comments on the personal and professional difficulties encountered by therapists working with this population ate described as well as some suggestions for alleviating those difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]