Practical for Your Practice: "WETting” Our Toes in Trauma Treatment Options

Practical for Your Practice album coverEpisode 6, Season 4: "WETting” Our Toes in Trauma Treatment Options

Guest: Dr. Paula Domenici
One of the issues that providers may face in their clinical practice is deciding what treatment options might fit best for a client who has PTSD. While our brains often go to the first line treatments like PE, CPT and EMDR, sometimes a 10 - 12 session protocol isn't the best fit for the client in front of us who can’t commit to that treatment length or has other reasons that drive a different approach. To truly provide patient-driven care, we, as clinicians, need to have other EBP options at-the-ready to meet our clients where they are.

In this episode CDP’s own Dr. Paula Domenici joins us to talk about her experience with using Written Exposure Therapy (WET) and how it has enhanced her clinical practice. Come dip your toes with us as we explore how WET might be a useful protocol to add to your clinical toolbox.

You won’t want to miss Paula’s “EBP Confession,” so stay tuned until the end!

Show Notes:

Paula Domenici, Ph.D.is Director of Training and Education at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. She oversees the development of courses and training programs for providers on evidence-based treatments for Service members and Veterans. She also presents workshops on deployment behavioral health topics for clinicians across the country.

Dr. Domenici specializes in trauma and the treatment of PTSD using Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). When she first joined CDP in 2006, she worked at the National Naval Medical Center in the outpatient clinic and inpatient casualty care unit. Earlier in her career, she was an APA Congressional Fellow as well as a Staff Psychologist at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Resources: 
Sloan, D. M., & Marx, B. P. (2019). Written exposure therapy for PTSD: A brief treatment approach for mental health professionals. American Psychological Association.
CDP Presents Webinar: An Introduction to Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for PTSD
NCPTSD on demand course: Written Exposure Therapy: A Brief PTSD Treatment
RCT’s References:
Exposure‐based writing therapies for subthreshold and clinical posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta‐analysis.
Effectiveness of written exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system.
Written exposure therapy vs prolonged exposure therapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized clinical trial.
A brief exposure-based treatment vs cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized noninferiority clinical trial.
Effect of written exposure therapy vs cognitive processing therapy on increasing treatment efficiency among military service members with posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized noninferiority trial.

Calls-to-action: 
Obtain a copy of the WET manual and attend a training if possible
Review the RCTs on WET
Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to the Cetner for Deployment Psychology's Monthly Email
Share your EBP questions, successes, missteps, or fears with us on www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p

This podcast is produced by the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. The views expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Uniformed Services University, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. In addition, reference to any specific company, products, processes, or services does not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement by the Uniformed Services University, the Department of Defense, or the US Government.