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Clinical Case Discussion
Published Online: 21 February 2019

Trauma-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy of a Patient With PTSD in a Veterans Affairs Setting

Fredric N. Busch, M.D. [email protected], Nicole Nehrig, Ph.D., and Barbara Milrod, M.D.Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: American Journal of Psychotherapy
Volume 72, Number 1
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20180019
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Abstract

Objective:

This article aims to articulate the use of trauma-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (TFPP) for a 33-year-old U.S. Army veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a Veterans Affairs (VA) setting.

Methods:

The patient was treated with TFPP, a manualized brief psychotherapy provided as part of a pilot study. TFPP differs from traditional dynamic psychotherapies in its focus on symptoms of trauma and associated dynamics. The patient was seen for an initial 60-minute intake session and then for 16 50-minute sessions over 5.5 months at a VA medical center.

Results:

Follow-up three months after termination of therapy indicated that the patient’s panic disorder and PTSD symptoms remained much improved, although some rumination and difficulty focusing persisted.

Conclusions:

TFPP appears promising as shown with this patient and others in VA settings who have been treated with TFPP.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to American Journal of Psychotherapy
Go to American Journal of Psychotherapy
American Journal of Psychotherapy
Volume 72 • Number 1 • March 01, 2019
Pages: 24 - 28
PubMed: 30786735

History

Received: 31 May 2018
Revision received: 12 August 2018
Revision received: 4 October 2018
Revision received: 24 October 2018
Accepted: 15 November 2018
Published online: 21 February 2019
Published in print: March 01, 2019

Keywords

  1. Psychotherapy
  2. Psychodynamic
  3. Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
  4. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Authors

Affiliations

Fredric N. Busch, M.D. [email protected]
Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York (Busch, Milrod); Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Columbia University, New York (Busch); Department of Psychology, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York (Nehrig); New York University Langone Health, New York (Nehrig); New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (Milrod).
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Nicole Nehrig, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York (Busch, Milrod); Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Columbia University, New York (Busch); Department of Psychology, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York (Nehrig); New York University Langone Health, New York (Nehrig); New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (Milrod).
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Barbara Milrod, M.D.
Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York (Busch, Milrod); Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, Columbia University, New York (Busch); Department of Psychology, Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York (Nehrig); New York University Langone Health, New York (Nehrig); New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (Milrod).
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Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Busch ([email protected]).

Competing Interests

The authors have confirmed that details of the case have been disguised to protect patient privacy.

Funding Information

This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (UL1-TR000457) to the Weill Cornell Medical College Clinical and Translational Science Center Community Engagement Program; the American Psychoanalytic Association Fund for Psychoanalytic Research; the International Psychoanalytic Association; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (National Institute of Mental Health 1UL1-TR002384-02) through a Weill Cornell Clinical Translational Sciences Center Pilot Award; and by a fund in the New York Community Trust established by DeWitt Wallace.The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

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