ABSTRACT

The past decade has seen major advances in our understanding of the nature of acute trauma response, the optimal time post-trauma at which early intervention techniques should be implemented, and the utility of early intervention procedures in preventing chronic post-traumatic psychopathology. In this chapter we briefly overview the treatment outcome literature for acute stress disorder (ASD) and outline the cognitive treatment of a client who developed ASD subsequent to a motor vehicle accident (MVA). This case highlights the multifaceted needs of acutely traumatized clients, and the treatment outlined illustrates cognitive strategies for clinicians to apply.