How effective is CBT-based group therapy for treating PTSD?

How effective is CBT-based group therapy for treating PTSD?

It is well-known that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is effective in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in one-on-one therapy sessions, but little is known about its efficacy in group settings.

CBT-based group therapy might allow people with PTSD to learn from each other’s insights and challenges, fostering a sense of community and support. To explore the evidence for such claims, ISCRR carried out an Evidence Review of the effectiveness of CBT-based group therapy for treating PTSD.

Key findings from the evidence review:

• There was limited evidence that CBT-based group therapy works better than treatment as usual, or being on a waitlist.
• No studies compared the most effective methods (e.g. frequency of sessions) of delivering CBT-based group therapy for PTSD.
• One study found that adding CBT-based group therapy to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) treatment improved PTSD symptoms.
• Studies have shown improvements in depression after CBT-based group therapy.

Overall, the evidence for the effectiveness of CBT-based group therapy for PTSD was limited and largely drawn from studies involving veterans with combat-related trauma. While the approach appears safe, there is little data on its impact for other types of PTSD, such as work-related trauma, or on which aspects of group therapy influence outcomes.

The current best practice guidelines support the use of CBT-based group therapy for PTSD if individual CBT-based therapy is unavailable or undesirable.