Comparison of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Dialogical Exposure Therapy (DET) for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Status: Completed

Conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Cognitive Processing Therapy (German Adaptation); Behavioral: Dialogical exposure therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01693497

Gestalt therapy for PTSD

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to compare two active psychological treatments for PTSD. One is an established therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) which operates as a control condition for a newly developed intervention, an integrative Gestalt-based trauma therapy, Dialogical Exposure Therapy (DET). There is no inactive control condition. We expect the two therapies to perform on a similar level, which would constitute evidence for the efficacy of DET.

Enrollment: 150 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• main diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder
• time since trauma is at least three months

Exclusion criteria

• acute suicidal ideation
• severe personality pathology
• substance dependence
• early childhood trauma (e.g. child sexual abuse)
• history of psychosis
• dissociative identity disorder
• neurological impairment (e.g. craniocerebral injury with functional impairment)
• severe pre-traumatic depression
• ongoing psychotherapy
• lack of motivation
• lack of German language skills

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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150 participants in 2 patient groups

Dialogical exposure therapy

Experimental group

Description:

Psychotherapy based on a manual integrating Gestalt principles with cognitive-behavioral techniques.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Dialogical exposure therapy

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

Cognitive Processing Therapy, a cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for PTSD patients. Based on a German manual adapted from Resick and Schnicke, 1993.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cognitive Processing Therapy (German Adaptation)