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Our Next Lecture

Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD 2023: Complementary, Integrative and Alternative Approaches

Ariel J. Lang, PhD, MPH

Wednesday, September 20 at 2:00pm ET 

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About the Presenter

ARIEL J. LANG, PhD, MPH is the Director of the VA San Diego Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (CESAMH) and a Professor in the University of California San Diego Department of Psychiatry and Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. Dr. Lang's research and clinical work primarily involves assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders. She is particularly interested in novel interventions and increasing engagement in psychotherapy. Her recent work has emphasized the use of complementary and alternative techniques, including yoga and meditation, for the treatment of PTSD.

About the Topic

A VA/DoD workgroup completed a revision of the Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder in early 2023.  The guideline is based on a complete review of the traumatic stress research literature since the 2017 Guideline and provides recommendations for providers who treat Veterans.  In order to help clinicians become knowledgeable about the recommendations and to assist them in providing care based on the latest evidence, this webinar will clearly explain the recommendations related to complementary, integrative and alternative approaches to treating PTSD, and discuss the clinical implications for providers treating veterans. 

Featured Article

Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) for PTSD

The use of complementary and integrative health (CIH) practices is widespread for the management of mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article is focused on mind-body practices that are applied for the treatment of PTSD. Although limited, evidence suggests that some CIH practices have beneficial effects as a treatment for PTSD. Most VA mental health programs offer CIH practices, and VA is supporting efforts to study the benefits of CIH for PTSD.

Read the full version of this recently updated article

Free Resources

Mindfulness Coach

Looking for tools to help your clients practice mindfulness?  Or looking for ways to enhance your own practice?  Consider our free Mindfulness Coach mobile phone app.

Features include:

• Education about the benefits of mindfulness
• Mindfulness exercises to practice on your own or with guidance
• Strategies to help overcome challenges to mindfulness practice
• Log of mindfulness exercises to track your progress
• Reminders to support your mindfulness practice

Available for both iOS and Android devices, Mindfulness Coach was developed for people who may be experiencing emotional distress and for those wanting to maintain healthy coping practices. The app can be used on its own by those who would like mindfulness tools, or to enhance face-to-face care with a healthcare professional.

Download this free mobile app

The Updated Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD

The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense (VA/DoD) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) was updated in 2023 to provide recommendations based upon the best information available at the time of publication. Recommendations in the CPG are designed to assist clinical decision making; they do not establish a standard of care or present an exclusive course of case management. A panel of multidisciplinary experts performed a systematic review of clinical and epidemiological evidence for the management of PTSD. This guideline provides an explanation of the logical relationships among various care options and health outcomes while rating both the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations. The information can be used to guide clinical care decisions and to identify areas of future research needed in the field.

Learn more and download the new CPG 

Are you treating U.S. Veterans?

Our team of expert clinicians is available to consult with any healthcare provider treating U.S. veterans in any setting.   We can discuss assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, medications, collaborating with VA care, patient and family education, continuing education, and just about anything else related to veterans and PTSD.  No question is too big or too small. Contact us at PTSDconsult@va.gov or 866-948-7880.