Chapter : Brief eclectic psychotherapy

Brief eclectic psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (BEPP), an evidence-based treatment that focuses on working through difficult emotions and grief originating from traumatic events, aims not only to reduce symptoms but also to enable trauma survivors to learn from devastating experiences. This chapter describes BEPP and unique characteristics that distinguish it from other evidence-based treatments that are highly relevant in the treatment of complex posttraumatic stress disorders (CTSDs).

BEPP was further developed in the 1980s and 1990s, simultaneous with the development of other trauma-focused psychotherapies such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. From the clinical experience, however, it is apparent that many patients enroll in BEPP treatment because of the (consequences of) complex symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic bereavement. The chapter describes the symptoms of CTSDs we commonly see in clinical practices, and how these are addressed in BEPP. It presents a case example that provides a further illustration of the BEPP approach with complex PTSD symptoms.

The chapter concludes with key points of the treatment and its clinical tactics.