[non-CE] Treating Trauma: How to Improve Client Engagement, Retention, and Outcomes

Date: Friday, December 6, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MST
Location: Virtual, via Zoom

UCEBT is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. UCEBT maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This presentation is also pending approval for CE credit through NASW-UT, UAMFT, and UMHCA. 

To view this event for free, without CE credit, please return to the events page and register for the [non-CE] version of this title. 

CE Option: If you want to receive 2 CE credit for this event, return to the events page and register for the [CE] version of this title for $40. Then, make sure you sign up for our mailing list when you register. Within 2 weeks following the event, we'll email you the information for purchasing the home-study version of this presentation for only $30.

Note: Everyone who registers will be emailed the recording and presentation slides within one week following the event.

About the presentation:

Clients receiving trauma treatment have a notoriously high dropout rate from therapy. Moreover, it is common for therapists to experience difficulty helping their clients build motivation to begin an evidence based therapy for PTSD, given the often-painful nature of the treatments.

This presentation will teach participants a specific method for providing psychoeducation to clients in the early phases of therapy which has been shown to improve commitment to begin an EBT, reduce client dropout, and improve overall outcomes in trauma treatment. This method is an applicable supplement to many modalities of trauma treatment (e.g., EMDR, CPT, PE, ACT).

While developing the PTSD clinical team and Center for Posttraumatic Growth at the VA where she works, Dr. Harmon developed a specific methodology for delivering psychoeducation to clients at the beginning of trauma treatment, which was shown to have positive impacts on client motivation, retention, engagement, and outcomes in treatment. Moreover, trainees and other members of her PTSD clinical team reported that learning the methodology increased their confidence and knowledge in being able to treat PTSD.

Dr. Harmon will teach this methodology in the presentation, while Drs. Sallee and Ertl will discuss its application across various trauma treatment modalities and apply it to specific case examples. There are no known risks to attendees or clients. As with all clinical interventions, attendees should be thoughtful about applying trauma treatment skills and strategies without appropriate training and supervision.

Learning Statement:

At the conclusion of this presentation, attendees should be able to apply a new method for providing psychoeducation to new and existing trauma treatment clients. If an attendee does not specifically conduct evidence based therapy for PTSD, but is aiming to improve their trauma informed lens, they should have an increased knowledge of the neurobiology of trauma and how to more effectively describe this to clients or other professionals in a validating and clear way.

Learning Objectives: 

• Participants will be able to be able to describe and recognize the neurobiology and coordinated threat responses related to PTSD/trauma and how they impact both brain and body

• Participants will be able to describe an approach that can help contextualize, validate, and humanize the client’s distress to build trust in the therapeutic alliance

• Participants will be able to describe a rationale for EBT care that enhances shared decision making to increase client understanding and buy in

• Participants will describe how to use values as a counterpoint to the inevitable activation that arises to help sustain motivation so clients complete and benefit from treatment

References:

Imel, Z. E., Laska, K., Jakupcak, M., & Simpson, T. L. (2013). Meta-analysis of dropout in treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 81(3), 394–404. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031474

Wells, S. Y., Morland, L. A., Hurst, S., Jackson, G. L., Kehle-Forbes, S. M., Jaime, K., & Aarons, G. A. (2023). Veterans' reasons for dropping out of prolonged exposure therapy across three delivery modalities: A qualitative examination. Psychological services, 20(3), 483–495. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000714

About the presenter:

Kara Harmon, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in both Colorado and Utah. Dr. Harmon currently serves as the Program Manager for the PTSD Clinical Team at Veteran Affairs in founding the Center for Post-Traumatic Growth. Dr. Harmon served as a consultant for the VA Prolonged Exposure Rollout Initiative and is lead supervisor for the PTSD Rotation in the APA-accredited Pre-Doctoral Internship Program.

Alex Ertl, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in both Colorado and Utah. Currently, Dr. Ertl is the Program Director for the Trauma, Stress, and Resilience program at UCEBT. He has extensive experience in treating trauma in outpatient settings utilizing EMDR and other modalities.

Carl Sallee, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in Utah. He received extensive training in the treatment of trauma under the supervision of Dr. Harmon at his APA accredited predoctoral internship at the VA of Western Colorado. He employs a trauma informed lens in all psychotherapy and utilizes multiple modalities including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for treating trauma.

Program Notices:

Conflicts of Interest: None.

Commercial Support: None.

CE Credit: Two hours of CE credit is available for attendees who are present for the entire program. We ask that all participants return the post-program evaluation form at the conclusion of the program. Kara Harmon, Ph.D., Alex Ertl, Psy.D., Carl Sallee, Psy.D., and UCEBT have not received any commercial support for this program or its contents and will not receive any commercial support prior to or during this program. For additional information or if accommodations are needed, please contact Jennifer at or (801) 419-0139.

Accuracy, Utility, and Risks Statement:

This presentation discusses strategies for engaging clients in trauma treatment, in a way that aims to increases retention, maximize value-based outcomes, use shared decision making, improve therapist conceptualization, and that uses routine outcome monitoring. This presentation is not a training for how to use specific evidence based modalities for treating PTSD/trauma such as EMDR, PE, CPT, or ACT, but rather a supplement to increase the effectiveness of these modalities.

Misapplication of these materials by individuals not trained in the delivery of evidence based therapy for trauma could be a risk to the wellbeing of the client. In order to benefit clients who have trauma, a therapist is ethically obligated to understand how trauma impacts someone’s biology, behavior, and psychology, how to relationally align with the client, and know how to competently deliver trauma informed and evidence based therapies.

If accommodations are needed, please contact Jennifer at or (801) 419-0139.