Trauma and PTSD

Do you know what the first-line treatment recommendations for PTSD really are—and how to apply them confidently in real-world practice? While newer approaches often generate excitement, cognitive and exposure-based treatments remain at the top of the strength-of-evidence rankings and continue to be frontline recommendations in the APA’s updated practice guidelines.

If you want greater clarity about what truly works—and a practical roadmap for implementing it—this training offers an integrated, research-informed framework that translates the strongest evidence into strategies you can immediately use with clients struggling with trauma and PTSD.

Jeff Riggenbach, Ph.D., trained at The Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in Philadelphia and has spent over 20 years developing and directing cognitive-behaviorally based treatment programs for Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Addictive Behavior Disorders, and Personality Disorders across multiple levels of care. Because trauma frequently co-occurs with personality dysfunction, he and his teams consistently delivered up-to-date, evidence-based PTSD treatment to patients fully meeting diagnostic criteria. His extensive clinical leadership and CBT expertise uniquely position him to guide clinicians through complex trauma presentations with clarity and confidence.

Through didactic teaching, case studies, and humor—and drawing from the latest CBT-based literature—Dr. Riggenbach is known for taking lessons from research off the “top shelf” and placing them on the “bottom shelf,” making them accessible and practical for clinicians “in the trenches.” This course presents an integrated model that emphasizes commonalities across empirically supported treatments, walking you step-by-step through an easy-to-understand three-stage process for effective PTSD care.

This training explores the four symptom clusters in PTSD and contrasts them with the three clusters in C-PTSD, while examining schemas that activate the threat response system and cognitive distortions that exacerbate threat-based appraisals. You will analyze shared elements across leading exposure-based approaches—including Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (Ehlers & Clark), Prolonged Exposure (Foa), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (Resick)—and construct a clear three-phase treatment plan. The course also addresses distorted appraisals, lack of habituation, disjointed trauma memories, “stuck points,” moral injury, relational healing, and strategies for fostering post-traumatic growth so clients can continue building resilience long after treatment ends.

Key Takeaways:

• Diagnostic Clarity and Case Conceptualization: Strengthen your understanding of PTSD and C-PTSD symptom clusters, threat-based schemas, and cognitive distortions that drive persistent suffering.
• Integrated, Evidence-Based Treatment Planning: Apply common principles across Cognitive Therapy for PTSD, Prolonged Exposure, and Cognitive Processing Therapy within a structured three-phase model.
• Facilitating Growth Beyond Symptom Reduction: Utilize practical strategies to address moral injury and promote post-traumatic growth, helping clients move from stabilization to meaningful reintegration.

Why this course?

• Frontline, Guideline-Aligned Care: Ground your clinical decisions in treatments that continue to top the strength-of-evidence rankings and remain first-line recommendations.
• Expert-Led, Clinically Grounded Training: Learn from a clinician who has developed and directed CBT-based programs across diverse psychiatric settings and levels of care.
• Practical Application for Real-World Settings: Gain tools that are immediately transferable to outpatient, inpatient, community, and telehealth environments—consistent with Telehealth Certification Institute’s mission to equip professionals with exceptional, high-quality continuing education.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the 4 symptom clusters in PTSD and contrast with the 3 in C-PTSD.
• List 1 schema linked to PTSD that activates the threat response system.
• Identify 3 cognitive distortions that exacerbate threat-based appraisals.
• Analyze commonalities in empirically supported exposure-based approaches to treatment.
• Construct a three-phase approach to treating clients with PTSD.
• Utilize 3 strategies for facilitating post-traumatic growth.

When trauma histories are complex, and presentations feel layered or “stuck,” having a clear, evidence-based roadmap can transform uncertainty into purposeful clinical action. This training offers a structured, integrated approach that supports you in reducing PTSD-related suffering and helping clients move toward lasting resilience and meaningful recovery.