Date of Submission

2010

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

Department Chair

Robert A. DiTomasso, Ph.D., ABPP

First Advisor

Frederick Rotgers, Psy.D., ABPP, Chairperson

Second Advisor

Stacey Cahn, Ph.D., Chairperson

Third Advisor

Virginia Salzer, Ph.D.

Fourth Advisor

Elizabeth A. Hembree, Ph.D.

Abstract

Sessions of prolonged exposure therapy, an extensively studied treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder, were coded for client verbalization in favor of maintaining or changing the focal behavior of the treatment. The frequency of client verbalization was used to attempt discrimination of group membership based on treatment completion and diagnosis remission. Client language was not predictive of group membership. However, for treatment completers, average frequency of verbalization against the status quo was twice as high as noncompleters when reviewing common reactions experienced following a trauma. Implications for treatment conceptualization and delivery are discussed.

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