Any topic (writer’s choice)

Respond by Day 6 to at least two of your colleagues postings that presented a different intervention strategy. Identify the similarities and differences in your individual interventions. Share any insights gained from your readings and comparison.

Colleague 1
Beths traumatic sexual history may be impacting her marriage in a variety of ways.  A stranger raped Beth and the impact of that trauma has spilled over into her marriage.  She has not been able to consummate their marriage because of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as a result of being raped.  She experiences panic attacks and crying spells, even with the thought of having sexual relations.  Beth wants to have children, and it is essential to her and her husband.  Don has been and is supportive of Beth and her journey while undergoing extensive therapy.

An intervention that Beth and Don could benefit from would be Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which use a cognitive behavioral approach to how Beth would respond to sexual relations with her husband.  Beth is valid in the way she feels. This type of intervention would be provided in a safe and comfortable environment that would allow Beth and Don to experience some of the distressing stimuli (intimate conversation about sex, etc.).  By exposing Beth to this type of stimuli in a safe environment, her fight or flight response would become weaker until ultimately, she will have fewer intrusion symptoms such as fear, panic, and crying spells (Baggett et al., 2017).  The cognitive change in the way Beth thinks and feels about intimacy with her husband could result in the couple being able to consummate their marriage and start the family that they both desire.

Baggett, L. R., Eisen, E., GonzalezRivas, S., Olson, L. A., Cameron, R. P., & Mona, L. R. (2017). Sexpositive assessment and treatment among female trauma survivors. Journal of clinical psychology, 73(8), 965-974.

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Colleague 2
COLLAPSE
Due to Beths diagnosis with PTSD as a result of her rape it has affected her in being intimate and affectionate with her husband of three years. Both Beth, and her husband wants children, but the lack of sexual interaction is preventing them from doing so, and Beth is fearful of losing her marriage and/or husband due to her thoughts or lack thereof of sexual activity.

The interventions discussed in Baggett et. al., (2017), Prolonged Exposure, or PE., and Cognitive Processing Therapy, or CPT, are methods used to expose the client to stimuli in a safe environment. These methods are experienced through imaginal exposure, which is reiterating the event or situation during a session, or vivo exposure, which is exposing the client to contact with the stimuli that causes fear. (Baggett, et., al, 2017). The more exposure to the stimuli through these practices, the higher the chances of the clients fear weakening and diminishing which results in fewer symptoms and increases positive effects.

Baggett, L.R., Eisen, E., Gonzalez-Rivas, S., Olson, L.A., Cameron, R.P., & Mona, L.R. (2017). Sex-Positive Assessment and Treatment Among Female Trauma Survivors