This course teaches licensed clinicians the knowledge and skills they need to integrate the safe and effective use of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy technique of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) into their practice immediately following the completion of this course. This course thoroughly teaches the skills for utilizing NET to address symptoms of PTSD—specifically focusing upon ameliorating Criterion B: Intrusion symptoms.

What causes Traumatic Stress/What has to happen for its resolution

Active Ingredients Approach – Science-based Practice

1. Therapeutic Relationship

2. Relaxation/Self-regulation

3. Exposure/Narrative

4. Cognitive Restructuring/Psychoeducation

Empowerment & Resilience Treatment Structure

1. Preparation & Relationship

2. Self-regulation & Skills-building

3. Integration & Desensitization

4. Posttraumatic Growth & Resilience

Stage 1: Preparation & Relationship

• Informed Consent

• Positive Expectancy

• Therapeutic Excellence using FIT

Stage 2: Psychoeducation & Skills-building

• Tools for Hope: What’s Behind Trauma and Its Symptoms

• Perceived Threat

• Autonomic Nervous System

• Skills: Self-regulation

• Exercise: Self-regulation

NET 5 Narrative Exposure Therapy

• Graphic Time Line

• Written Narrative.

• Pictorial Narrative

• Verbal Narrative

• Recursive Narrative

Course Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to articulate the development of exposure therapy as a primary intervention for treating post-traumatic stress.

2. Participants will be able to explain the importance of desensitization and integration of trauma memories for the resolution of PTSD.

3. Participants will be able to demonstrate ability to catalyze the principles of reciprocal inhibition (exposure + relaxation) to desensitize the distress associated with Criterion B: Intrusion symptoms of PTSD.

4. Participants will be able to demonstrate competency in determining whether your client is a good candidate for EMDR and to ascertain whether your client has acquired all the prerequisite skills to effectively engage EMDR.

5. Participants will be able to implement a checklist to determine when/if clients are eligible for NET.

6. Participants will learn, practice, and develop competency implementing the Five Narrative NET method with single-incident trauma.