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“This handbook is much needed. Group psychotherapy is widely used, yet underestimated and under-researched. After providing a concise guide to the basic principles of group treatment, the book presents the major evidence-based and evidence-informed group therapies for traumatic stress. Session-by-session descriptions are illustrated by well-chosen case examples. Contributors also discuss such important topics as the specifics of providing group therapy virtually, vicarious trauma exposure, and the need for self-care. This book is a pleasure to read. It belongs on the shelf (or even on the nightstand!) of every clinician who conducts group interventions with traumatized people.”

—Ulrich Schnyder, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Switzerland


“This book fills a critical gap in the literature. Ruzek and colleagues have assembled leading investigators of evidence-based treatments for traumatic stress who provide comprehensive and empirically grounded information on group approaches in the area. This book is a valuable resource for providers and trainees in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and social work.”

—Denise M. Sloan, PhD, Associate Director, Behavioral Science Division, National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine


“A great addition to any trauma therapist's reading list. This is the first book I have seen that provides a comprehensive overview of group treatments for traumatic stress. The book's inclusion of multiple evidence-based treatment modalities and its focus on accessibility and equity make it a staple resource. This book will serve as an excellent text for graduate courses or clinical reference for practitioners.”

—Melanie D. Hetzel-Riggin, PhD, LP, Professor of Psychology and Director, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College


“The editors have done a fantastic job of assembling experts in the field to write on all aspects of group work with populations that have experienced trauma. I appreciate the book's readability and applicability. I would use this book as a primary text in a group or trauma counseling course, to highlight the intricacies of trauma and the practical use of group process in trauma-focused treatment.”

—Anthony Rivas, EdD, LMFT, LAC, MAC, Master's Program in Counselor Education, California State University, Sacramento


“This unprecedented book provides state-of-the-art answers about why group therapy should be provided for various trauma types and clinical contexts. It describes what the current manualized evidence-informed procedures and heuristics are for clinicians who want to learn group therapy or enhance their practice. And it demonstrates how group therapy uniquely helps traumatized people not only to manage various PTSD symptoms, but also to broaden and build interpersonal skills, faith in humanity, belonging, trust, and empathy. A 'must read' for trainees, practitioners, supervisors, and clinical researchers.”

—Brett T. Litz, PhD, Director, Mental Health Core, Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiological Research and Information Center, VA Boston Healthcare System; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

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Table of Contents

I. Overview

1. Introduction, Matthew M. Yalch, Josef I. Ruzek, & Kristine M. Burkman

2. History and Principles of Group Therapy for Traumatic Stress, Matthew M. Yalch, Kristine M. Burkman, & Josef I. Ruzek

3. Comparing Group Therapies for Trauma Survivors, Josef I. Ruzek, Kristine M. Burkman, & Matthew M. Yalch

4. Basics of Group Therapy for Traumatic Stress, Kristine M. Burkman, Matthew M. Yalch, & Josef I. Ruzek

5. Conducting Research on Group Treatments for Traumatic Stress Disorders: Is Science Chasing Practice?, J. Gayle Beck, Bre’Anna L. Free, Mya E. Bowen, Rimsha Majeed, Audrey B. Garrett, & Rivian K. Lewin

II. Group Modalities for Trauma-Related Problems

6. Group Cognitive Processing Therapy, Carolina C. Ehlinger & Kathleen M. Chard

7. Group-Facilitated Prolonged Exposure, Rebecca K. Sripada, Erin R. Smith, & Sheila A. M. Rauch

8. Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET) Group Therapy, Julian D. Ford & Katy Reid

9. Group Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation, Malia L. Moreland & Brandon J. Weiss

10. Group Delivery of Seeking Safety for Trauma and/or Addiction, Lisa M. Najavits & Summer Krause

11. Inner Resources for Stress: Group-Based Mindfulness and Meditation for Trauma Treatment, Lynn C. Waelde

12. Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Groups: Supporting Trauma-Focused Treatment Meredith S. Sears & Sarah M. Thompson

13. Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Traumatic Stress, Jordana Hazam & Robyn D. Walser

14. Race-Based Stress and Trauma Empowerment Group, Asale A. Hubbard, Melissa J. London, Maurice Endsley, Jr., & Tanya Erazo

15. A Semistructured Interpersonal Approach to Group Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Matthew M. Yalch & Kristine M. Burkman

16. Case Conceptualization-Based Functional Analytic Group Therapy for Trauma-Related Problems, Luc Vandenberghe

17. Group-Based Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness, Ashley M. Schnakenberg Martin & Paul H. Lysaker

III. Improving the Accessibility and Effectiveness of Group-Based Interventions

18. Virtual Group Psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Leslie A. Morland, Tonya Masino, Ursula S. Myers, Tamara Wachsman, & Lisa Glassman

19. Training and Supervision of Group Therapy for Trauma Survivors, Kristine M. Burkman, Matthew M. Yalch, & Josef I. Ruzek

20. Evaluating Group Therapy for Trauma Survivors, Matthew M. Yalch, Kristine M. Burkman, & Josef I. Ruzek

21. Expanding Concepts of Group Intervention, Josef I. Ruzek

Index

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About the Editors

Josef I. Ruzek, PhD, retired as Director of the Dissemination and Training Division of the National Center for PTSD in 2018, after 26 years in the organization. He is Distinguished Professor in Residence at Palo Alto University, Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Dr. Ruzek has edited several volumes on the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is a past member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. He specializes in early intervention to prevent the development of PTSD, dissemination of evidence-based treatments for PTSD, and development and evaluation of internet- and smartphone-based interventions for trauma survivors.

• All titles by Josef I. Ruzek

Matthew M. Yalch, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at Palo Alto University, where he teaches courses in personality assessment and quantitative methodology. His research focuses on the intersection of trauma and personality, and he has published over 80 articles and book chapters in these areas. A clinical psychologist, Dr. Yalch is a recipient of the John E. Exner Scholar Award from the Society for Personality Assessment and the Enrico E. Jones Award for Research in Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology from the Western Psychological Association.

Kristine M. Burkman, PhD, is an Attending Psychologist at the San Francisco VA Health Care System and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Her clinical work focuses on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, and moral injury, and she is a codeveloper of an empirically validated protocol for caring for military veterans who experience distress related to killing in combat. Dr. Burkman has supervised dozens of psychology and psychiatry trainees providing group psychotherapy for trauma survivors.

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Contributors

J. Gayle Beck, PhD, Department of Psychology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN

Mya E. Bowen, BA, Department of Clinical Psychology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN

Kristine M. Burkman, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Kathleen M. Chard, PhD, Trauma Recovery Center, Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

Carolina C. Ehlinger, PhD, Trauma Recovery Center, Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

Maurice Endsley, Jr., PhD, VA Northern California Health Care System, Sacramento, CA

Tanya Erazo, PhD, Liberate Psychological and Consultation Services, Milipitas, CA

Julian D. Ford, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT

Bre’Anna L. Free, BS, Department of Clinical Psychology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN

Audrey B. Garrett, BA, Department of Psychology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN

Lisa Glassman, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, CA

Jordana Hazam, PsyD, Kapl’olani, The Sex Abuse Treatment Center, Honolulu, HI

Asale A. Hubbard, PhD, San Francisco VA Healthcare System, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Summer Krause, MA, LPC, CADC III, LifeStance Health and Treatment Innovations, Camas, WA

Rivian K. Lewin, MS, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA

Melissa J. London, PhD, San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Paul H. Lysaker, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN; Psychology Service, Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN

Rimsha Majeed, MS, Department of Psychology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN

Tonya Masino, MD, MA, DFAPA, Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, CA

Malia L. Moreland, MS, Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA

Leslie A. Morland, PsyD, Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, CA

Ursula S. Myers, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC; National Center for PTSD, Washington, DC

Lisa M. Najavits, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA

Sheila A. M. Rauch, PhD, ABPP, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA

Katy Reid, MS, LPC, Advanced Trauma Solutions Professionals, Southington, CT

Josef I. Ruzek, PhD, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA; Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Ashley M. Schnakenberg Martin, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Psychology Service, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT

Meredith S. Sears, PhD, San Francisco VA Healthcare System; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Erin R. Smith, PhD, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI

Rebecca K. Sripada, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychiatry, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Sarah M. Thompson, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Luc Vandenberghe, PhD, School of Social and Health Services, Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, Goiánia, Brazil

Tamara Wachsman, BA, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA

Lynn C. Waelde, PhD, Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA

Robyn D. Walser, PhD, TL Psychological and Consultation Services, Menlo Park, CA

Brandon J. Weiss, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY

Matthew M. Yalch, PhD, Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA

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Audience

Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, counselors, and psychiatric nurses.

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Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.