Introduction
The chosen case is about Jared. He is an African American male who is 37 years old referred to counseling by his girlfriend, Sheila. Jared’s presenting problem is that he is short-tempered, on edge, shouts at his girlfriend, and loses his cool with his kids. His thoughts are filled with images of homes being burned, or people screaming with bloody injuries, or people in anguish over their loved ones’ dead bodies. His memories have impacted his daily functioning and interpersonal relationships because of the triggered feelings and thoughts, and he is worried that he may lose his mind.
The addressed mental health issue of the client is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In order to overcome a list of negative consequences of the above-mentioned disorder, a specific intervention was chosen. Cognitive-behavioral therapy may be beneficial in PTSD cases. It is designed to change patterns of thinking and beliefs that are triggered by anxiety. PTSD treatment involves avoiding trauma-related thoughts that can include anger, sadness, fear, memories, and situations that can remind a survivor of the traumatic events (Williston et al., 2020). Therefore, mindfulness may be an effective practice, which may contribute to the achievement of the proposed goal. The primary research objective is to answer the following question. Is cognitive-behavioral therapy effective in approving PTSD in veterans? In order to achieve that goal, several search strategies are implemented. These strategies include searching with keywords and searching with subject headings.
Article Summaries
The first chosen article is The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. The mentioned article may provide general information regarding the scope of application of cognitive behavioral therapy to determine if it is suitable for PTSD cases. Moreover, it may provide valuable data related to the efficiency of the studied approach. The primary purpose of that article is to conduct a survey of meta-analyses related to the efficiency of cognitive behavioral therapy. The methodology included reviewing meta-analytic studies to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in a wide variety of diverse disorders. The above-mentioned therapy was proven to be effective in anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, bulimia, anger control problems, and general stress (Hofmann et al., 2012). It may also indicate that cognitive behavioral therapy may be effectively implemented in PTSD treatment plans. However, even though the study utilized a large number of articles, it may be necessary to conduct further research in order to take specific subgroups into consideration.
The second article is Cognitive-behavioral coping strategies associated with combat-related PTSD in treatment-seeking OEF–OIF Veterans. That article may provide specific information answering the primary research question. It may also help determine cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in combat-related PTSD cases. The purpose of that article is to examine the correlation between various therapy methods implementation and PTSD symptoms. The methodology included a comprehensive survey based on a sample of 167 treatment-seeking operations (Pietrzak et al., 2011). Cognitive therapy models were proven to reduce combat-related PTSD symptoms (Pietrzak et al., 2011). Nevertheless, the case is limited by a small number of concrete methods such as social support and avoidance coping strategies.
The last article is Mindfulness in PTSD treatment. It may provide focused information regarding the implementation of mindfulness in PTSD treatment plans. That article’s primary purpose is to determine if mindfulness may be effectively applied to patients with PTSD. However, it is mentioned that the methodology of that study is significantly limited and related literature may be inconsistent (Lang, 2017). That may be closely linked with a very specific area of study and lack of related knowledge. Even though provided data may be inconsistent, accumulated knowledge is sufficient to prove that mindfulness may potentially have a significant positive impact on patients with PTSD, including veterans. It may not be implemented as a first-line treatment, yet mindfulness may have a positive impact as a complementary approach.
Conclusion
Considering the accumulated data it may be possible to answer the primary research question. Even though some of these articles and studies rely on inconsistent sources, they all share a general idea. Cognitive behavioral therapy methods and particularly mindfulness may be effective in approving PTSD patients and particularly veterans. All three articles implied that cognitive behavioral therapy might positively affect such patients and decrease possible PTSD symptoms. The second article may also serve as evidence of therapy effectiveness in PTSD veterans. However, further research may be needed to improve cognitive behavioral therapy methods and apply them to diverse patients properly. It may also be necessary to develop an individual approach and consider various cultural and ethical aspects during treatment. These studies provide general information based on average research results. It may be beneficial to conduct studies focused on applying cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness to specific groups with unique qualities. The treatment goal for the client in the case study may be to decrease PTSD symptoms by utilizing a wide variety of cognitive behavioral therapy, including mindfulness and social support.
References
Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses.Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440. Web.
Lang, A. J. (2017). Mindfulness in PTSD treatment.Current Opinion in Psychology, 14, 40–43. Web.
Pietrzak, R. H., Harpaz-Rotem, I., & Southwick, S. M. (2011). Cognitive-behavioral coping strategies associated with combat-related PTSD in treatment-seeking OEF–OIF Veterans.Psychiatry Research, 189(2), 251–258. Web.
Williston, S. K., Grossman, D., Mori, D. L., & Niles, B. L. (2020). Mindfulness interventions in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.