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National Center for PTSD; STAIR Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation

Session 1 - Introducing the Client to Treatment

Discussing the Effect of Trauma > The Three Symptom Clusters of PTSD

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Image of a man with head in hands and the words 'Re-experiencing', 'Avoidance and Numbing', and 'Hyperarousal' above him.

During your review of the client's history, explain to your client that PTSD is characterized by three clusters of symptoms:

  1. Re-experiencing
  2. Avoidance and numbing
  3. Hyperarousal

Using the information gained from the client’s evaluation, review which symptoms within each cluster your client endorses. Normalize the presence of such symptoms following a traumatic event(s) and discuss how these seemingly disparate symptoms actually “hang together.”