1 - (SYM 79) Implementing the Unified Protocol in an Intensive Treatment Program Designed to Treat PTSD: Preliminary Outcomes

Background: Delivering evidence-based treatment protocols so that multiple sessions in a so-called massed treatment format has demonstrated promise in terms of reduced drop-out and accelerated reduction of symptoms (e.g. Held et al., 2020; Rauch et al., 2020). Despite their promise, however, massed treatment delivery models have only been applied to single disorder treatments, such as PTSD. The extent to which protocols intended to treat transdiagnostic constructions (e.g. avoidance) is not yet well-understood. The Unified Protocol (UP: Barlow et al., 2011) is a transdiagnostic evidence-based therapy that is designed to treat a wide array of emotional disorders that has limited evidence in massed formats (Sherrill et al., 2024). Exploring the use of the UP in massed formats may expand treatment options to individuals with a variety of presenting concerns and/or multiple concerns. The present study examines initial outcome data from a pilot implementation of massed UP in an existing intensive treatment program.   

Method: A sample of treatment seeking Veterans (N=26; M_age=46.3, SD=8.62; 57.7% white; 61.5% male) with a range of diagnostic categories (e.g., PTSD, GAD) participated in a trauma-focused 2-week intensive treatment program. Participants completed a course of the UP in individual therapy sessions over two weeks, in addition to groups (i.e., psychoeducation groups, mindfulness, art therapy, and acupuncture). PTSD (PCL-5; Weathers et al., 2013) and Depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke & Spitzer, 2002) symptoms were measured pre- and post-treatment

Results: 88% (N=23) completed the intensive treatment program with massed UP as the primary individual therapy modality. Overall, large reductions (d=.84) were observed in PTSD symptoms between baseline (M=47.04, SD=20.3) and post-treatment (M=28.61, SD=19.95) t= 6.41, p<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">< .01. Medium (d=.66) reductions in depressive symptoms were observed between baseline (M=14.65, SD=7.74) and post-treatment (M=9.44, SD=7.03) t = 4.29, p< .01.

Conclusion: Consistent with the limited research examining UP delivered in massed formats (Sherrill et al., 2024), participants saw large and medium reductions in PTSD and depressive symptoms, respectively, over the course of the two-week program. Results suggest delivering the UP in massed format as part of an intensive treatment program produces meaningful symptom reductions. Existing intensive treatment programs may want to consider implementing massed UP as an evidence-based intervention to treat a wide array of presenting concerns.