Prolonged Exposure Therapy For PTSD

2-3 April 2026

A Live, Interactive Webinar

Description:

This intensive 2-day module provides training in Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy, an evidence-based treatment for PTSD described in the manual, Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD – Therapist Guide, by Foa, et al., 2019. Participants are expected to be familiar with the evidence base supporting PE prior to attending the workshop. The workshop covers the theoretical support for PE and reviews the main clinical techniques used in the standard protocol. Step-by-step instructions for conducting PE therapy sessions, including in vivo and imaginal exposure, along with strategies for working with over- and under-engaged patients and other difficult cases, are shared. Videotaped examples of PE cases are used to demonstrate therapist skills. Participants will practice PE techniques in role-plays during the workshop, and they must attend both days. (Foa et. al, 2022; McClean & Foa, 2024; Peterson et.al, 2023)

Total CE Credits: 14

Total Contact Hours: 14

Learning Objectives:

Following the training, attendees will be able to:

1. Explain underlying theories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that have informed the development and use of Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy.

2. Formulate a rationale for PE that builds rapport, improves client motivation, and increases treatment adherence. 

3. Demonstrate an effective method of breathing that reduces client arousal and promotes distress tolerance. 

4. Design an individualized avoidance hierarchy designed to systematically confront core fears. 

5. Use in vivo exposure to block trauma related avoidance. 

6. Apply imaginal exposure exercises to reduce the intensity and frequency of PTSD symptoms. 

7. Choose homework assignments that deepen exposure-based learning and further treatment goals. 

8. Distinguish “hot spots” in the trauma memory in order to more efficiently reduce the intensity of associated symptoms. 

9. Analyze exposure exercises to facilitate new learning and modify client's unhelpful, trauma-based cognitions. 

10. Integrate new strategies to revise unhelpful cognitions that promote avoidance and maintain symptoms. 

11. Evaluate PE outcomes using standardized procedures and use assessment data to refine treatment planning. 

12. Modify exposure techniques in a theoretically consistent manner to improve accessibility and clinical outcomes for specific patients.

Target Audience: For behavioral health providers who treat military personnel, veterans, and their families.   

Instructional Content Level:  Intermediate

Agenda: 

Continuing Education:

Course Completion Requirements: Participants are required to attend the entire training. Partial credits cannot be issued. Attendance is taken through the use of electronic logs, and a post-training evaluation form must be completed in order to receive ACE social work CE credits. For other CE credits, completion of the evaluation is strongly encouraged, but if you do not wish to complete the evaluation, please contact the training event's POC after the training event.  

There is a 30-day time limit post-training to complete all CE requirements. CE Certificates will be made available via CE21  within 30 days after all course requirements have been completed. 

American Psychological Association Sponsor Approval:

The Center for Deployment Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Center for Deployment Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 

Association of Social Work Boards Approved Continuing Education Provider Approval:

The Center for Deployment Psychology, #1761, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program.  Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers.  State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.  The Center for Deployment Psychology maintains responsibility for this course.  ACE provider approval period: May 19, 2025 – May 19, 2028.  Social workers completing this course receive 14 Live, Interactive Webinar continuing education credits.

New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology Provider Approval:

The Center for Deployment Psychology is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0178). 

New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work Provider Approval:

The Center for Deployment Psychology is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0744).

Inquiries regarding CE credits may be directed via email to Will Tiwari at william.tiwari.ctr@usuhs.edu.

Participate:

Online Platform: Zoom

Date: 2-3 April 2026

Time: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm Eastern 

Registration Information:  https://deploymentpsych.org/training 

Registration Deadline: Registration will close one week prior to the class start date, or when the course is full. 

Cancellations/Questions: Please contact william.tiwari.ctr@usuhs.edu if you have any questions or need to cancel your registration.

Registration Cost/Refunds: None.

Required Materials: 

PE Manual:  PE Manual: Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD – Therapist Guide, by Foa et al., 2019 (2nd Ed). This can be purchased from either Oxford University Press directly or from many other booksellers. 

Location Information: Online via Zoom

Instructional Format: This live webinar is fully interactive. Attendees may ask and answer questions throughout the presentation and participate in instructor-led discussions.

System Requirements:  

Zoom: 

• Internet connection

• Operating System: Windows 7 or higher, Mac OS X with MacOS 10.9 or higher

• Web Browser: Internet Explorer 11+, Edge 12+, Firefox 27+, Chrome 30+, Safari 7+

• Hardware: 1Ghz processor or higher

Special Accommodations: If you require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact William Tiwari at william.tiwari.ctr@usuhs.edu 4 weeks prior to the training so that we may provide you with appropriate service.

Grievances: For any grievances or concerns with this training including those related to course content, non-receipt of certificate or other occurrences, participants may contact CDP’s Continuing Education Director, Ms. Amanda Stanley-Hulsey, via email at amanda.stanley-hulsey.ctr@usuhs.edu.   

Instructor Biographies: 

Paula Domenici, Ph.D. is Director of Training & Education at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland. She leads Star Behavioral Health Providers (SBHP), a national training and referral initiative that expands access to mental health care for service members, veterans, and their families, with a particular focus on the National Guard. Through SBHP, community-based civilian providers receive tiered training to strengthen their ability to serve military-connected populations and can join an online therapist directory that helps military and veteran clients connect with qualified clinicians.

Dr. Domenici specializes in trauma and the treatment of PTSD, with expertise in Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and trains clinicians nationwide in these areas. She joined CDP in 2006, beginning her work at the National Naval Medical Center in both the outpatient clinic and the inpatient casualty care unit. Earlier in her career, she served as an APA Congressional Fellow, and as a Staff Psychologist at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. She is a licensed psychologist in Virginia and California.

Kelly Chrestman, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience specializing in evidence-based treatments for trauma and stress-related conditions. As a Senior Military Behavioral Health Psychologist at the Center for Deployment Psychology, she provides consultation and training both domestically and internationally, concentrating on stress and trauma, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Prolonged Exposure Therapy.

She is co-author of Prolonged Exposure for Adolescents with PTSD and co-developed the PTSD Learning Center and Operation AVATAR, an immersive learning platform hosted in Second Life. Her work merges rigorous scientific research with culturally informed practices, aiming to translate psychological principles into practical, actionable, and accessible tools for practitioners.

**There is no commercial support or conflict of interest to report for these presenters.