Prolonged Exposure (PE) is an evidenced-based psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is being disseminated nationally within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with promising initial results. Empirical evidence, however, regarding the effectiveness of PE for treatment of PTSD in military veterans is limited. Building on previous treatment outcome research, the current study investigated the effectiveness of PE in a diverse veteran sample. One-hundred fifteen veterans were enrolled in PE at an urban VA medical center and its surrounding outpatient clinics. PTSD and depression symptoms as well as quality of life were measured before and after treatment. Several baseline patient characteristics were examined as predictors of treatment response. Eighty-four participants completed treatment. Participants experienced a 42% reduction in PTSD symptoms, a 31% reduction in depression symptoms, and an increase in quality of life following PE. Veterans not prescribed psychotropic medication reported greater PTSD symptom reduction than veterans prescribed such medication. The implications of these results for treatment programs targeting PTSD in veterans are discussed.

This paper proposes the development of a new model of treatment for survivors of sexual abuse suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Foa, Rothbaum, Riggs, and Murdock (1991) and Foa, Rothbaum, and Furr (2003) support Prolonged Exposure (PE) as a highly effective treatment for PTSD. However, PE can be intimidating to survivors, contributing to hesitancy to participate in the treatment. This paper posits that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) will decrease anxiety, lower physiological arousal, enhance the therapeutic alliance, and promote social lubrication. The paper also posits that AAT will enhance the value of PE by making it more accessible to survivors, increasing social interaction, and perhaps decreasing the number of sessions required for habituation to the traumatic memories.

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Grief after the death of a pet has been demonstrated to parallel grief after the death of a person, yet many people report feeling a lack of support from family, friends, and even therapy providers when experiencing pet bereavement ( Archer & Winchester, 1994 ; Chur-Hansen, 2010 ; Gosse & Barnes, 1994 ; Sharkin & Knox, 2003 ; Stewart, 1983 ; Wrobel & Dye, 2003 ). This lack of perceived social support is characteristic of “disenfranchised grief,” which can result in situations where survivors do not believe they have a right to grieve ( Doka, 2002 ). Furthermore, there is a scarcity of literature offering therapy providers information on how to best work with this subset of grievers. The findings of recent research regarding pet bereavement, grief patterns, and grief therapy were used to design a three-tier pet-bereavement program for therapists to use with individuals after the loss of a pet. The selected intervention offered in Tier Two presents Therapy After the Loss of a Pet (TALP), a six-session intervention which integrates cognitive behavioral therapy with psychoeducation, resilience work, and coping skills in order to support an adaptive grief experience for the specific nature of grief after the loss of a pet.