ORN Spring 2025 - A novel prolonged exposure therapy protocol for improving therapy session attendance and PTSD symptoms among adults receiving buprenorphine or methadone-2025-04-16 - Recording - ORN Spring 2025

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this webinar, Dr. Kelly Peck, a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant research professor, discusses the intersection of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid use disorder, focusing on prolonged exposure therapy's effectiveness. This therapy is a behavioral treatment designed to alleviate PTSD symptoms through persistent exposure to trauma-related stimuli, aiming to decondition fear responses. Despite its efficacy, a significant barrier is session attendance, particularly among those with concurrent substance use disorders. Dr. Peck's research involved trials that incorporated monetary incentives to enhance therapy session attendance among patients receiving buprenorphine or methadone. The findings revealed substantially higher session attendance and improved PTSD outcomes in incentive groups compared to non-incentive groups. Moreover, prolonged exposure therapy coincided with stable or reduced substance use, countering concerns that PTSD treatment could exacerbate substance issues. Additionally, this research highlighted therapy delivery through telehealth, showing feasibility in remote settings. Moving forward, Dr. Peck's team aims to further evaluate this method's long-term impacts and broaden access to trauma-related treatments, particularly in rural areas, through a toolkit offering training and resources for healthcare providers.

Keywords

PTSD

opioid use disorder

prolonged exposure therapy

session attendance

monetary incentives

telehealth

substance use

rural healthcare

trauma treatment