We’re in This Together: A Case Study of the Concurrent Delivery of Prolonged Exposure Therapy to Intimate Partners With PTSD

• Published in: Cognitive and behavioral practice 2024-11, Vol.31 (4), p.548-562
• Main Authors: Saraiya, Tanya C., Santa Ana, Elizabeth J., Jarnecke, Amber M., Feigl, Hayley, Rothbaum, Alex O., Back, Sudie E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: intimate partners; posttraumatic stress disorder; prolonged exposure
• ISSN: 1077-7229
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2023.03.002

•Prolonged Exposure (PE) was provided to each partner in a couple diagnosed with PTSD.•Both partners did not meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD at the end of treatment.•The couple expressed benefits to completing PE at the same time as their partner.•Treating couples with PTSD using PE concurrently may enhance treatment outcomes. Research on the links between intimate relationships and PTSD and the treatments for PTSD tend to be limited to couples in which only one partner within the dyad has PTSD. No investigations, to our knowledge, have empirically examined the simultaneous provision of evidence-based PTSD treatment to both partners in an intimate relationship diagnosed with PTSD. The current case study describes two partners in a different-sex relationship, both diagnosed with current PTSD, who received individual Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy at the same time as part of a larger randomized clinical trial. Each partner received ten, 90-minute individual sessions of PE therapy by two separate clinicians trained in PE followed by a 1-month follow-up. The findings demonstrated significant pre- to posttreatment reductions in PTSD symptoms as measured by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale-5 (CAPS-5) for the male partner (Δ = 18) and the female partner (Δ = 24). Both partners achieved diagnostic remission of PTSD by end of treatment. In addition, both partners expressed enhancements in relationship functioning that they experienced while receiving PE therapy concurrently. Clinical considerations for the provision of concurrent PE to partners in an intimate relationship are discussed. The positive findings from this case study may inform future research in this much-needed area of treatment for couples where both partners are suffering from PTSD.