61st Annual Conference

Workshop P 77
A Fresh Approach to Understanding Post Traumatic Stress and Its Innovative Application in Group Work with Veterans

Chairs:                        

Robert LeLieuvre, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Great Falls, Great Falls, Montana

Reverend William Mark, M.Div., PTSD Coordinator, Edith Nourse Rogers, VA Medical Center, Bedford, Massachusetts

Suzanne Phillips, Psy.D., CGP, Adjunct Professor, Postdoctoral Program in Group Psychotherapy, Derner Institute, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York  

Carolee Verdeur Rada, Psy.D., Post Doctoral Fellow, Edith Nourse Rogers, VA Medical Center, Bedford, Massachusetts

Donald Wexler, M.D., CGP, FAGPA, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

This workshop will offer a fresh approach to understanding Post Traumatic Stress as the natural expression of attachment to and undoing of trauma for the purpose of relieving the individual of shame. Using clinical examples, it will consider the effective application of this formulation in group therapy with veterans and others who have experienced trauma.  It will also present the unique use of media as part of group process to address the social isolation, numbing and fear of intimacy that accompany PTSD.

didactic-demonstration-sharing of work experiences-experiential

1. Herman, J. (1997). Trauma and Recovery. New York: Basic Books.

2. Johnson, D. & Lubin, H. (2000). Group Psychotherapy for the Symptoms of  Post Traumatic

    Stress Disorder. In R. Klein & V. Schermer (Eds.), Group Psychotherapy for Psychological

    Trauma, 141-169. New York: Guilford Press.

3. LeLieuvre, R. (1998). Goodnight Saigon: Music, Fiction, Poetry, and Film in Readjustment Group

    Counseling. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 29(1), 74-78.