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Photo of Shirley Glynn

Group Therapy for PTSD: Issues and Answers

Shirley M. Glynn, Ph.D.
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System at West Los Angeles
Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA

About this Course Module

While group treatments for PTSD have not been extensively studied as individuals treatment approaches, the preliminary data suggest they can be effective in reducing symptoms. Three main types of groups are available—introductory psychoeducational or skills groups or more intensive therapy groups, which may focus differentially on processing the traumatic event (trauma-focus group treatment) or coping with current situations (present-centered groups treatment). Since PTSD is a disorder of avoidance, many survivors, especially those recently traumatized, will require extra support to engage fully in groups.

Goal: The goal of this presentation is to provide an overview of the group treatment for PTSD, including research on the intervention, types of groups (brief psychoeducational/skills based vs. more intensive), staging and pacing of progress through groups, and the rationale and core components of trauma focus and present-centered group therapy.

Objectives: After viewing the presentation, the participant will be able to:

  1. Detail the rationale for and the core components of Trauma Focus Group Treatment (TFGT) for PTSD
  2. Detail the rationale and core components of Present Centered Group Treatment (PCGT) for PTSD
  3. Articulate key considerations for the appropriate staging and pacing of group PTSD treatments

Download course module with instructor's narration

(ZIP file - 26.2 MB)

Download Transcript (PDF)

Abbreviated instructions:

  1. Download ZIP archive of module
  2. Unzip ZIP archive of module
  3. Double-click to open "glynn_group_therapy_a.pps" (do not move files out of folder)

Read complete instructions

Download course module without instructor's narration

(ZIP file - 2.7 MB)

Download Transcript (PDF)

Abbreviated instructions:

  1. Download ZIP archive of module
  2. Unzip ZIP archive of module
  3. Double-click to open "glynn_group_therapy.pps"

Read complete instructions

How to obtain Continuing Education Credits

Continuing education credits can be earned for this course. For more information and step-by-step instructions, please visit the CE Credits page. Here is the brochure required for CEs for this course.