A Therapist's Guide to Prolonged Exposure

Reviews the book, Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences: Therapist Guide by Edna B. Foa, Elizabeth A. Hembree, and Barbara Olasov Rothbaum (see record 2007-01296-000). This book is a user-friendly guide to prolonged exposure written by three experts in the field of exposure therapy to help bridge the gap between research and practice. The book is written in straightforward, jargon-free language and discusses posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment in the historical context of the diagnosis. The well-organized, detailed structure of the therapy makes the goals of each session and the means for accomplishing these goals very apparent and easy to follow. This book provides a clear theoretical foundation so that clinicians understand the therapy's rationale Although this book has many strengths and is an important addition to the field of PTSD treatment, there are some limitations. One is the minimal focus on emotions other than fear that trauma victims consistently identify (e.g., shame and guilt). Additionally, Foa and colleagues make no suggestions regarding self-care for clinicians providing this type of treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)