The Integration of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Psychodrama in Trauma Treatment

In this course, Michael Burge, OAM, FAPS, Australian College of Trauma Treatment, explains how CBT can be integrated with psychodramatic techniques for enhanced therapeutic benefits with clients who have traumatic stress. The nature of psychodrama with its externalising and enactment of various roles helps to bypass client resistance to examining traumatic material. Burge reviews the basics of both CBT and psychodrama, showing how various psychodrama techniques can be integrated with the ABC Model. Tips for working with imaginal exposure are offered, and Burge outlines how Vietnam veterans were treated for nightmares and intrusive flashbacks of experiences when they thought they were going to die.