Glossary // Glossary term Clinical
Psychological debriefing
A single-session intervention, delivered soon after a traumatic event, in which people are encouraged to recount the event and express their emotional reactions. A Cochrane systematic review found no evidence that single-session individual debriefing prevents post-traumatic stress disorder, and some trials reported worse outcomes in the debriefed group. The finding is often cited as a caution against assuming that early emotional expression is protective for everyone. What clinical psychology learned about emotional release: emotional processing theory and exposure, the Cochrane evidence against single-session psychological debriefing, and meta-analyses of regulation strategies across psychopathology. Single-session psychological debriefing did not prevent post-traumatic stress disorder in a Cochrane review. Effective trauma treatments are structured and combine emotional activation with new learning. When and how to look for help. The works the definition rests on, with the level of evidence each was appraised at. (2002). Psychological debriefing for preventing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000560 Supports the claim that single-session individual debriefing did not reduce distress or prevent PTSD, with one trial showing increased risk at one year. Trial quality was generally poor, and the review concerns one specific format.Where the site uses it
Studies behind it