Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of Written Exposure Therapy Delivered Via Telehealth for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

Evaluating evidence-based treatments for PTSD and their appropriateness for telehealth delivery is crucial for providing access to quality care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brief treatments, that require fewer resources, less clinical training and supervision, and are more efficient for clinicians and clients remain largely untested for alternative modes of treatment delivery. WET, a brief written intervention for the treatment of PTSD, has demonstrated success in the treatment of a variety of traumatized populations. However, there is a dearth of literature regarding the provision of WET via telehealth. In order to address this gap in the literature, an exploratory study of WET delivered via telehealth was conducted to examine the preliminary efficacy, feasibility, and participant acceptability of the intervention. Fifteen participants were enrolled in the intervention, with ten participants completing treatment as intended, and five participants experiencing clinically significant improvements in PTSD symptoms. Our data suggests that the intervention was viewed as acceptable by participants and moderately feasible to implement, albeit with a number of considerations for refinement in areas of treatment recruitment, retention, data collection. Qualitative data highlighted common issues experienced with the written and telehealth aspects of the intervention that can be used to refine this intervention for future research. We argue that future research in this area is warranted given the potential for reducing accessibility barriers to clinical service delivery for trauma-exposed populations.