Brown School > Resources & Initiatives > Post-Master's Certificate > Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in Adults

Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in Adults

This certificate program will prepare professionals with evidence-based competencies in engaging, assessing, and intervening with adults presenting with post-traumatic stress disorder.

A case-based approach will deepen your knowledge and ability to help adults experiencing PTSD as a result of:

Sexual trauma
Combat trauma
Physical or emotional abuse during childhood

Course content includes Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy, as well as how to address common co-morbidities such as substance use disorder and other mental health diagnoses.

The program provides tools for how to conceptualize, prioritize, and address complex trauma. The focus includes helping clients with affect regulation and distress tolerance.

Applications will be accepted through August 27, 2021.

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Is this program for me?

This program is intended for individuals who already hold a master’s degree in a mental health field and have an interest in expanding their knowledge of working effectively with adults experiencing PTSD.

Most qualified applicants hold a master's degree in social work, psychology, counseling, or marriage & family therapy. If your graduate work is in a different field, please contact us prior to application. A key component of the program is weekly case consultation. Applicants should be advised that only fully licensed mental health providers are able to submit clinical cases for consultation; unlicensed or provisionally licensed class members can participate in consultation but cannot submit cases.

At the close of the program, participants will better be able to:

Apply evidence-based practices to assessment and treatment planning of PTSD in adults.
Implement therapeutic interventions leveraging Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy.

The group will meet intensively for five full-day meetings to learn and practice interventions. At present, these meetings are scheduled to be in-person; these plans will be re-evaluated and finalized by August 1st based on the public health situation at that time. Participants will also join a weekly Zoom for a 90-minute case consultation session. There are reading assignments from four required texts. Three of the texts are included in the program fees; an additional text is available through the popular press at a cost of less than $20.

Successful completion of the certificate program includes submission of a case conceptualization, a treatment plan, videotaped skills demonstration, and progress notes.

How to Apply

A completed application will include:

Online application form, including a statement of purpose (300-500 words).
Submission of your current resume.
Transcript transmitted from your master’s program. Official electronic transcripts should be routed from the issuing institution to BrownPMC@wustl.edu.

At this time, we are only able to receive electronic correspondence. While we prefer an official transcript sent directly from the issuing institution, until we are again able to receive physical mail, we will accept unofficial transcripts sent from applicants.

If you have more than one graduate degree, please send the transcript from the degree most closely related to the post-master's program for which you are applying.

Admissions decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Complete applications must be received by August 26, 2021.

Admission prerequisites. Applicants must:

Hold a master’s degree in a counseling or mental health-related field from an accredited university.
Have access to a computer, internet and a webcam to participate in consultation sessions.

Want to get a flavor the program? Here is a past Open Classroom featuring two of your instructors:

Meet Your Instructors

Megan D. Keyes, PhD
Adjunct Faculty, Brown School
Founder, Trauma Empowered Consulting

Dr. Keyes is a clinical psychologist with expertise in the assessment and evidence-based treatment of PTSD as well as the provision of clinical consultation to mental health providers. She has over twenty years’ experience delivering clinical services to trauma survivors. For the past decade, Megan has also provided expert consultation and training to clinicians learning to implement evidence-based treatment for PTSD.

Ryan Lindsay, MSW, LCSW
Associate Professor of the Practice & Assistant Dean for Social Work, Brown School

Ryan Lindsay's career has focused on training new and experienced providers in various evidence-based treatments, consulting with organizations on how to implement evidence-based programs, and aiding organizations in program development utilizing evidence-based principles. At the Brown School he chairs, teaches, and advises students within the Mental Health concentration in the Master of Social Work program.

Karen Loaiza, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Department of Veteran’s Affairs

Dr. Loaiza’s expertise lies in clinical practice with an emphasis on providing quality, evidence-based care predominantly to the veteran population. She has significant knowledge in the assessment and treatment of those dually diagnosed with trauma and substance use disorders. Karen has specialized training in the treatment modalities of Prolonged Exposure, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.

Portrait of Julie Mastnak Julie Mastnak, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Brown School

At the Brown School, Julie Mastnak teaches Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Applied Behavior Therapy, Differential Diagnosis, and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Since 2006, she has worked on the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in St. Louis, specializing in providing diagnostic assessments and evidence-based, trauma-focused treatment.

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