PTSD Treatment and Couples Therapy Go Hand in Hand

PTSD Treatment and Couples Therapy Go Hand in Hand
New Study Finds Combined Treatment Effective
By Matt McMillen
WebMD
Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 14, 2012 -- For people with posttraumatic stress disorder, going to couples counseling with their partner may ease their PTSD symptoms -- and help their relationship, a new study shows.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, used a specialized form of couples therapy called cognitive-based conjoint therapy (CBCT). It showed positive results compared to no therapy at all.

The key may be having your partner there. "PTSD patients don't do as well in individualized therapy," says researcher Candice Monson, PhD, of Ryerson University in Toronto. "Social support emerges as the most robust factor that encourages recovery."

The study included 40 couples, each of which included one partner with PTSD. Half of the couples were put on a wait list for therapy, during which they were allowed to stay on any therapies they were currently undergoing as long as it was not for PTSD. The rest of the couples attended couples therapy once or twice per week, for a total of 15 sessions.

The therapy began with education about PTSD and its potential for harm, as well as strategies to cope with it.
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