Principles of Trauma Therapy
A Guide to Symptoms, Evaluation, and Treatment

Third Edition

John N. Briere - University of Southern California, USA
Catherine Scott - University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles

Other Titles in:
Counselling Psychology | Counselling and Psychotherapy (General) | Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Counselling

March 2025 | SAGE Publications, Inc

John Briere and Catherine Scott's Principles of Trauma Therapy, Third Edition is both comprehensive in scope and highly practical in application. This best selling text provides a creative synthesis of cognitive-behavioral, relational, affect regulation, mindfulness, and psychopharmacologic approaches to the "real world" treatment of acute and chronic posttraumatic states. Grounded in empirically-supported trauma treatment techniques and adapted to the complexities of actual clinical practice, this book is a hands-on resource for front-line clinicians, those in private practice, and graduate students of public mental health.

Acknowledgments

Introduction to the Third Edition

Part I: Trauma, Effects, and Assessment

1. What Is Trauma?

Single Versus Multiple Traumatic Events In DSM-5

Major Types of Trauma

2. The Psychological Effects of Trauma (John Briere, Catherine Scott, & Janelle Jones)

What Makes Trauma Responses More Likely, More Intense, or More Complicated?

Types Of Posttraumatic Response

Trauma- and Stressor-related Disorders

Disorders and Symptoms Typically Related to Trauma Exposure

Generic Symptoms Sometimes Associated with Trauma Exposure

Trauma Syndromes in Non-Western Cultures

Complex Posttraumatic Presentations

3. Assessing Trauma and Posttraumatic Outcomes (John Briere, Erin Eadie, & Catherine Scott)

Assessment In The Clinical Interview

Assessing the Sociocultural Environment

Assessing Current and Past Exposure to Discrimination and Maltreatment (SDM)

Evaluating the Effects of Trauma

Structured Interviews

Psychological Tests

Trauma-Specific Tests

Recommendations for Assessment through Telehealth Platforms

Part II: Clinical Interventions

4. Central Issues in Trauma Treatment

A Basic Philosophy of Trauma, Recovery, and Growth

Central Treatment Principles

5. Psychoeducation

Handouts

Books

Verbal Information During Therapy

General Focus

Constraints

6. Distress Reduction and Emotional Regulation Training

Dealing with Acute Intrusion

Intervening in Chronic Emotional Dysregulation

Meditation and Yoga

7. Cognitive Interventions

Cognitive processing

Developing a Coherent Narrative

Cognitive Changes Arising from Non-overwhelming Emotional Activation

Cognitive Interventions and Insight

Addressing the Cognitive Impacts of Social Maltreatment

8. Trigger Management

Steps of Trigger Management

Intervening in Triggers and Triggered States

Intervening in DRBs

9. Emotional Processing

Reexperiencing as Trauma Processing

The Components of Trauma Processing

Written Homework

Written Exposure Therapy (WET)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR; Shapiro, 2018)

The Therapeutic Window

Emotional Processing and Substance Use

Sequence and Session-Level Structure of Memory Processing

10. Increasing Identity and Relational Functioning

Identity Problems

Relational Disturbance

11. Mindfulness in Trauma Treatment

What Is Mindfulness?

Research

The Mindful Therapist

12. Treating the Effects of Acute Trauma (Sarah Stoycos, Heidi Ardern, John Briere, & Catherine Scott)

Research on Acute Traumatic Stress

Intervening in Acute Posttraumatic Stress: An Overview

Central Components of Treatment for Acute Trauma

Special Issue: Trauma Work in Acute Medical Contexts

13. Remote Treatment of Trauma: Teletherapy Principles

Acceptable Teletherapy Platforms

Teletherapy Guidance for Major Professional Groups

Articles and Guides on Teletherapy Practice

Teletherapy Principles

Part III: Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology of Trauma

14. Psychobiology of Posttraumatic Stress (Catherine Scott, John Briere, & Janelle Jones)

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis and the Adrenergic System

The Endocannabinoid (eCB) System

Other Biological Correlates of PTSD

Findings From Neuroimaging Studies

Integrating Biological Models with Psychological Trauma Theory

15. Psychopharmacology of Trauma (Catherine Scott, Janelle Jones, & John Briere)

Psychotherapy and Psychopharmacology

Medications for PTSD

Special Topic: Repurposed Drugs and Drug-assisted Psychotherapy

16. Conclusions

Appendix 1: Trauma Exposure Review (TER)

Appendix 2: Social Discrimination and Maltreatment Scale, Short Form (SDMS-SF)

Appendix 3: Mindfulness-based Breath Training (MBBT) Handout

Appendix 4: A Brief Urge/Emotion Surfing Exercise

Appendix 5: ReGAIN handout

References

Index

About the Authors

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
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A Guide to Symptoms, Evaluation, and Treatment

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