Vaage-Kowalzik Veronica, Engeset Jeanette, Jakobsen Marianne, Evensen Julie Horgen
Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Private Practitioner, Asker, Norway.
Front Psychol. 2025 Aug 29;16:1581055. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1581055. eCollection 2025.
Intensive trauma treatment programs have shown robust results in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the experiences of therapists working within the frameworks of these treatment programs have only scarcely been explored through quantitative studies and have not previously been examined in qualitative studies.
This study aimed to explore therapists' experiences in an intensive trauma treatment program (ITTP). Our research questions were: How did the therapist experience working within the ITTP, and how did the treatment program influence them as trauma therapists?
Seven therapists who had participated in a two-week intensive inpatient trauma treatment program involving Prolonged Exposure, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and therapist rotation (TR) were interviewed using a semi-structured qualitative interview format. The transcripts were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.
Our analysis resulted in three main themes: (1) Learning through shared experiences, (2) A new experience of trauma therapy changing attitudes and praxis, and (3) Doubts about intensive trauma treatment. The therapists described the treatment project as demanding yet a valuable learning opportunity. Most expressed initial hesitations about providing trauma-focused therapy (TFT), fearing that patients might deteriorate, but participating in the project appeared to alter their attitudes and practices regarding TFT. TR was described as an excellent learning environment and a means to share the burden of responsibility. Our therapists noted that the program's intensity and multimodality contributed to its effectiveness, though some questioned whether the program was too intensive.
Our findings highlight the uneasiness therapists face when performing TFT and emphasize the value of a supportive and educational atmosphere in delivering TFT. One approach to fostering such an environment is to implement TFT within an intensive treatment program with therapist rotation, allowing therapists to learn from and support one another while providing manualized TFT.
ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT05342480. Date of registration: 2022-04-22.
强化创伤治疗项目在治疗创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）方面已显示出显著效果。然而，对于在这些治疗项目框架内工作的治疗师的经历，通过定量研究进行探索的情况很少，且此前尚未在定性研究中进行过考察。
本研究旨在探索治疗师在强化创伤治疗项目（ITTP）中的经历。我们的研究问题是：治疗师在ITTP中工作的体验如何，以及该治疗项目对他们作为创伤治疗师有何影响？
采用半结构化定性访谈形式，对7名参与了为期两周的强化住院创伤治疗项目的治疗师进行访谈，该项目包括延长暴露疗法、眼动脱敏再处理疗法和治疗师轮转（TR）。使用主题分析方法对访谈记录进行分析。
我们的分析得出了三个主要主题：（1）通过共同经历学习；（2）创伤治疗的新体验改变态度和实践；（3）对强化创伤治疗的疑虑。治疗师们将该治疗项目描述为要求严格但却是宝贵的学习机会。大多数人最初对提供以创伤为重点的治疗（TFT）表示犹豫，担心患者病情可能恶化，但参与该项目似乎改变了他们对TFT的态度和做法。TR被描述为一个极好的学习环境和分担责任的一种方式。我们的治疗师指出，该项目的强度和多模式性有助于其有效性，尽管有些人质疑该项目是否过于密集。
我们的研究结果突出了治疗师在进行TFT时所面临的不安，并强调了在提供TFT时营造支持性和教育性氛围的价值。营造这种环境的一种方法是在有治疗师轮转的强化治疗项目中实施TFT，使治疗师在提供标准化TFT的同时能够相互学习和支持。
ClinicalTrial.gov标识符：NCT05342480。注册日期：2022年4月22日。
