Publication Date

2008

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Abstract

This qualitative study explores clinician's use of psychoeducation in the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with military personnel and their family members. Seven clinicians working with military personnel or in a military setting were asked a series of questions about psychoeducation and its use in the treatment of PTSD. Utilizing interviews, clinicians provided rich and detailed narratives outlining the following questions: (1) Is psychoeducation an appropriate intervention method in the treatment of PTSD? If so, when is it appropriate to use or incorporate psychoeducation in the treatment process with military personnel and/or their family members? and (2) What have been the outcomes in using psychoeducation as a form of treatment for PTSD with individual military personnel and/or their family members? How do you measure the effectiveness of this intervention? Participants gave descriptive narratives of their experience and outcomes, exploring their meaning and understanding of psychoeducation, its use during the therapeutic relationship as a stand-alone entity or in conjunction with another therapy, and their perceptions on psychoeducation's effectiveness in the treatment of PTSD. Major findings revealed that psychoeducation was used by all of the participants in this study; however treatment modality, timeframe and settings of use with psychoeducation varied. The data collected from the study supported the need for more research to be conducted on the effectiveness and best practices of the use of psychoeducation in the treatment of PTSD.

Comments

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2008. iii, 61 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-55)

Share

COinS