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PTSD Treatment Plan: John Williams
Student name
Liberty University
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PTSD Treatment Plan: John Williams
Client History
Mr. John Williams joined the military since it was a family tradition. “Parental and
family variables are strong influences on children’s career choices,” (Moore & Penk, 2019). He
went to college, but it was expected that he would serve his country. John is a 25 year old white
male seeking therapy for help after a series of traumatic events he witnessed while serving in the
United States Army as a Military Policeman. He served for four years. He was stationed on Fort
Polk, LA for the duration of his service. John rose through the ranks pretty quickly and saw
things that he couldn’t unsee. These events included Soldiers taking their own lives and the
suicide of his best friend. His best friend was also a MP and he lived with John. The death
occurred on a side road only a few miles away and John suffer’ s from guilt for not being able to
stop it. During his service he been married and divorced in the same year and is currently living
with his parents. “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder advances inversely from person to person
because everyone’s nervous system and tolerance for stress is dissimilar from others,” (Moore &
Penk, 2019).
John was diagnosed with Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with Depressive
Disorder. He has been on medication and has seen a counselor while in the service. Cognitive-
behavioral therapy was working while he was still in the service. Having recently discharged he
now wants to pursue help to get more understanding of his anger and difficulties. This treatment
plan intends to identify what type of stressors John confronted when he was a Military
Policeman, the specific events that have traumatized him, and what he has done to overcome his
anger and depression. “Accurate assessment of PTSD for military personnel is a complex
process that includes orienting the patient to the assessment process, reviewing the limits of
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confidentiality, assessing self-reported trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, and obtaining a
variety of contextual information,” (Moore & Penk, 2019). As a human service counselor, I plan
to use the following plan.
Presenting Problem: Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with Depressive Disorder
Unspecified and Survivors guilt
Symptoms.
John is looking for or expecting danger even when the probability is low causing
sleeplessness
Large crowds or people cause unexplained tension or anxiety
Carry’s a weapon to feel safe
Conflicts with his family have increased
Feels guilty over the death of his friend
Goals.
Teach John about mindfulness and breathing exercises to assist in his sleep
Identify John’s specific triggers that cause his anger
Provide John with some good habits such as working out, running or some form
of exercise to assist with his coping
Improve Communication skills to help with relationships
Discover why John feels guilty in the death of his friend
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SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS
1) John needs to learn about his
mental condition and the many
resources available for him and his
family and how they may interrupt
life functioning (Moore & Jongsma,
2009).
1) John needs a psychoeducational intervention that
will help him cope with his diagnosis (Moore &
Jongsma, 2009).
2) I will recommend individual and group counseling
both to assist John in his healing. Veterans respond to
each and being a Veteran will assist in his acceptance
1) Reduce the feelings of moody
behavior, anger, and fears.
2) Identify the source of pain and
what traumatic event changed his life
to the point that social isolation and
being angry have been the only
choices to cope with the pain
1) Exposure based therapy will help John with the
PTSD symptoms. The evidence based therapy (PE)
will enable him to re-visit his memories by recalling
the traumatic event and expressing his emotions for a
period of 60 – 90 minutes. (Moore & Penk, 2019).
1) Teach breathing skills to assist in
daily life.
2) Implement calming skills during
bedtime to improve John’s sleep
pattern.
3) Build trust and interpersonal
relationship with family and friends
1) PE is a manualized treatment that includes four
primary components: (1) repeated revisiting of the
trauma memories (imaginal exposure), (2) repeated
exposure to avoided situations (in vivo exposure), (3)
education about common reactions to trauma, and (4)
breathing retraining.
(Moore & Penk, 2019).
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1) John needs to understand
that seeking therapeutic help is ok
and not a sign of weakness. PTSD is
very common among military
personnel
2) Learn and implement problem-
solving strategies to realistically
solve a problem.
1) Assign John homework exercises where he is
going to identify a list of fears, worries, and negative
self-talk and replace them with positive thoughts.
(Moore & Jongsma, 2009).
2) Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) will help
John to overcome his anxiety and depression
related symptoms from PTSD. (Moore & Penk,
2019).
1) Build trust and interpersonal
relationship with family and friends
1) Improve Communication skills to help with John’s
relationships
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References
Freeman, S. M., Moore, B. A. & Freeman, A. (2009). Living and surviving in harm' s way: A
psychological treatment handbook for pre- and post-deployment of military personnel.
New York, NY: Routledge
Moore, B. A., & Jongsma, A. E. (2015). The veterans and active duty military psychotherapy
treatment planner. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN: 9780470440988.
Moore, B. A., Penk, W., & Friedman, M. J. (2019). Treating PTSD in military personnel: A
clinical handbook (Second). The Guilford Press. Retrieved January 18, 2022, from
https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781462538454.
