Reducing acute stress in a 16-year old using trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

Madelon Brigitte Bronner, Renée Beer, Margreet Jozine van Zelm van Eldik, Martha Alexandra Grootenhuis, Bob Fred Last

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for the treatment of acute stress in an adolescent. METHODS: A combination of TF-CBT and EMDR was provided to a 16-year-old girl with distressing memories, anxiety and flashbacks. For measurement of the efficacy of the treatment package, the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13) was used. RESULTS: Acute stress reactions decreased considerably after treatment and remained stable. CRIES-13 scores showed substantial reduction in stress scores. The girl reported no more flashbacks of the injury, sleeping difficulties or recurrent and distressing memories. CONCLUSION: This case study illustrates the potential efficacy of a combination of TF-CBT and EMDR for patients with acute stress reactions. Future studies should examine the efficacy of this treatment package in a large sample of children
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)170-174
Number of pages5
JournalDevelopmental Neurorehabilitation
Volume12
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

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