Trauma-focused cognitive therapy in the context of ongoing civil conflict and terrorist violence

Human conflict often involves groups that share the same territory and reside within the same region or state. In this chapter we consider how these intergroup processes have a bearing on the provision of a therapeutic response to people who, as a consequence of such conflicts, develop psychological problems, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Such inter-group dynamics are not usually as relevant to the treatment of PTSD arising from traumas not related to civil conflict. As violence reduces, the improved context can assist the treatment of PTSD, for example, by facilitating the use of behaviour experiments. However, it is important to recognize that PTSD can also be effectively treated whilst conflict prevails. Indeed, as societies emerge from conflict, violence does not instantly end but remains in many forms for a considerable period of time.