Understanding PTSD

This information handout provides a simplified explanation of PTSD’s causes and maintaining factors, in a visual format accessible to clients.

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Professional version

Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Client version

Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Editable version (PPT)

An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.

Overview

Understanding PTSD is a psychoeducational handout that visually illustrates the cognitive processes involved in the development and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder. Illustrating key elements from Ehlers & Clark’s (2000) cognitive model, it breaks down complex psychological concepts into client-friendly language.

Key mechanisms highlighted include the role of poorly processed trauma memories leading to re-experiencing, the impact of negative appraisals in maintaining a sense of current threat, and the role of coping strategies such as avoidance and hypervigilance in preventing recovery.

Why Use This Resource?

This resource supports therapeutic work by:

  • Enhancing client understanding of the key mechanisms underlying PTSD symptoms.
  • Stimulating collaborative discussions about individual beliefs, experiences, and coping strategies.
  • Serving as a psychoeducational tool for clinicians to introduce PTSD formulations.
  • Providing a training aid for developing psychological formulations skills in trauma-focused therapy.

Key Benefits

Clarity

Offers a simplified and accessible explanation of PTSD processes.

Engagement

Encourages meaningful discussions between client and therapist.

Learning

Supports therapists’ understanding of cognitive models of PTSD.

Versatile

Suitable for use in therapy sessions, training, and supervision.

Who is this for?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Assisting individuals struggling with trauma-related memories and beliefs.

Integrating it into your practice

01

Introduce

Share the handout during psychoeducation to introduce PTSD processes.

02

Discuss

Facilitate exploration of the client’s beliefs, symptoms, and coping responses.

03

Reflect

Encourage reflection on how avoidance behaviours maintain distress.

04

Educate

Use the resource as part of therapist training, supervision, or team formulation.

05

Plan

Integrate insights into trauma-focused treatment.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

Understanding PTSD is based on the cognitive model developed by Ehlers and Clark (2000), which proposes that PTSD persists when traumatic experiences are processed in ways that lead to a sense of ongoing current threat. In this model, traumatic memories are often poorly elaborated, fragmented, and disconnected from their original temporal context (Brewin, 2014). This disorganisation can contribute to re-experiencing symptoms, where memories intrude vividly and involuntarily.

At the same time, individuals may develop negative appraisals about themselves, others, and the world in the aftermath of trauma. Beliefs such as “I am powerless” or “The world is dangerous” maintain a heightened sense of threat even when the trauma is no longer occurring. Coping behaviours like avoidance, hypervigilance, and thought suppression, although initially understandable attempts to manage distress, inadvertently prevent trauma memories from being processed and integrated, prolonging symptoms over time.

This resource supports clients and therapists to collaborate around the maintenance mechanisms of PTSD in an accessible way. Clear psychoeducation about these processes can normalise clients' experiences, reduce shame, and enhance engagement with trauma-focused interventions. By providing a visual reference, the resource supports case formulation and the foundation for effective trauma focused treatment.

What's inside

  • A simplified, accessible summary of the cognitive model of PTSD.
  • A visual tool showing how trauma memories, appraisals, and coping strategies interact.
  • A tool for psychoeducation, case formulation, and client engagement.
  • Guidelines for therapists on using the handout to foster understanding and collaboration.
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FAQs

It explains the core psychological mechanisms maintaining PTSD, focusing on trauma memory processing, maladaptive beliefs, and coping behaviours like avoidance.
Therapists can use it during psychoeducation, as a discussion tool, or as a visual aid to support case formulation and goal-setting.
Yes, it serves as a helpful learning tool for therapists developing skills in cognitive models of PTSD and trauma-informed case formulation.
Yes, the handout is designed to translate complex cognitive-behavioural concepts into clear, relatable terms for clients.

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

  • Enhances client understanding of PTSD mechanisms, empowering them to engage with therapy.
  • Reduces avoidance and fear through normalisation and psychoeducation.
  • Strengthens the therapeutic alliance by fostering a shared framework for understanding distress.
  • Provides a foundation for targeted trauma-focused interventions and treatment planning.

References And Further Reading

  • Brewin, C. R. (2014). Episodic memory, perceptual memory, and their interaction: Foundations for a theory of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Bulletin, 140(1), 69–97. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033722
  • Ehlers, A., & Clark, D. M. (2000). A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38, 319–345.