None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The study has several aims: (1) to test whether cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is helpful after recent trauma; (2) to test that CPT is as good as the usual therapy delivered in the sexual assault service (treatment as usual, TAU); (3) to ensure that counsellors not previously trained in CPT can learn and deliver the therapy with the same results as previous studies that have used highly experienced and trained cognitive behavioural therapists. We predict that CPT will be useful in reducing posttraumatic stress, that it will be at a minimum as good as treatment as usual, and we hypothesise that CPT therapists will show results comparable to previous treatment outcome studies using CPT.
Interventions
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): participants receive 6 weekly sessions of a trauma-focussed cognitive behavioural psychological therapy, with each session being 90min duration. Therapy is conducted one on one with counsellor (social worker). Cognitive behavioural therapy techniques involves helping participants modify unhelpful beliefs that contribute to anxiety and stress, and methods to reduce the frequency and distress associated with trauma memories.
Sponsors
A/Prof. Reg Nixon
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
16 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Has experienced a sexual assault within past 4 weeks and is diagnosed with Acute Stress Disorder.
Exclusion criteria
Client actively suicidal, has uncontrolled psychosis or bipolar disorder, is in current threat (e.g., is being actively stalked by a perpetrator), meets criteria for substance dependence, is already receiving psychotherapy for the index assault.
Outcome results
None listed