PTSD Treatment Guides

Over recent years, several organizations have created guidelines for the treatment of various disorders, including PTSD, dissociation, and related issues. This page collects links to online versions of treatment guides relevent to emotional trauma issues, as these guides may be helpful for some clinicians.

Please note that the Disaster page includes a section of links to disaster mental health (DMH) guides, primarily of interest to disaster workers. While DMH guides focus on issues pertinent in disaster areas (and for individuals in crisis), they may also be useful for clinicians dealing with patients in crisis. In either case, please explore the disaster mental health guides as well as the treatment guides listed below.

Acute Stress Treatment Guides

APA Quick Reference Guide (2004)
Quick Reference Guide (in PDF) for APA's treatment guidelines for treating PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder.
ISTSS Treatment Guide: Psychological Debriefing (2000)
Treatment guideline (from 2000) describes psychological debriefing (e.g., CISD), including indications & counterindications.
Treating Survivors in the Acute Aftermath of Traumatic Events
Dr. Arieh Shalev's PDF article discusses issues surrounding provision of early treatment for trauma (disaster) victims.

PTSD Treatment Guides

NICE Treatment Guideline: PTSD (2005)
The UK's NICE clinical guide on PTSD covers management of adults in primary, secondary & community care; multiple documents available.
National Center for PTSD & DOD: Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2nd Edition (2005)
Clinicians Guide addresses unique needs of veterans of the Iraq war; download book or by chapter.
APA Practice Guidelines (2004)
Treatment guidelines (in PDF format) from the American Psychiatric Association, for PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder.
VA/DoD: PTSD Clinical Practice Guidelines (2003)
From the VA's Office of Quality Performance, a clinical practice guide for PTSD.
Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (1999)
Expert Consensus Guidelines by Edna Foa et al, in PDF format: for PTSD treatment, with a smaller guide for families.
Effective Treatments for PTSD: practice guidelines from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (2000)
Foa, E., Keane, T. & Friedman, M. (Eds.) NY: Guilford Press.
Trauma Treatment Manual
Ed Schmookler's excellent treatment manual, initially written for Bosnia, applies to most disasters. Now posted at this site.

Dissociation Treatment Guides

Guidelines for Treatment of DID (MPD) in Adults (2005)
ISSD's 2005 guidelines for treating Dissociative Identity Disorder (or MPD) in adults.
Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Symptoms in Children (2003)
ISSD's 2003 guidelines for evaluating and assessing dissociative symptoms in children and adolescents.

General Treatment Guides

Key Elements in Couples Therapy with Veterans with Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (2005)
Sherman, Zanotti, & Jones consider issues in couples therapy when one client has combat-related PTSD.
Treatment Choice in Psychological Therapies (2001)
Clinical practice guidelines, developed to aid decisions about which forms of psychotherapy are most appropriate for which patients.
Expert Consensus Guide for Patients and Families (1999)
Useful guidance for PTSD patients and their families, with checklist.
Mental Health of Refugees (1996)
A 140+ page WHO book, in PDF format, describes refugee mental health and treatment issues. Also available in Spanish.
Return