Preparation exam Loss & Psychotrauma 2023-2024
Guidelines for exam preparation:
The exam will test your knowledge and your ability to apply that knowledge, related to the 7
course objectives outlined in the manual:
“At the end of this course student will have:
1. knowledge about typical psychological problems that may occur after major life events, including
knowledge about characteristics of PTSD and PGD
2. knowledge about risk and protective factors associated with these psychological problems.
3. basic knowledge about diagnostic assessment instruments for PTSD and PGD.
4. knowledge about influential theories explaining different psychological consequences of loss and
trauma, including cognitive behavioural theories about the development and persistence of PTSD
and PGD.
5. knowledge about psychological interventions that can be used to prevent and treat psychological
problems following loss and trauma and about the effectiveness of these interventions.
6. the skills to critically reflect on the information and literature addressed in this course.
7. basic skills to apply evidence-based intervention strategies and methods according to the
principles of stepped care*.”
*Stepped care is a way of providing and monitoring care and treatment. The aim is to provide you with
the most effective, yet least resource intensive treatment for you. With this approach, you only 'step up'
to more intensive/specialist services if it is considered the right thing to do clinically.
The exam is based on the obligatory study material for the course: the lectures and
workshops, and the prescribed literature for each lecture and workshop.
The prescribed literature is meant to aid you in better understanding the contents of the
lectures and workshops, by providing background, more in depth information and a better
understanding of historical and emerging developments and viewpoints shaping today’s
Loss and Psychotrauma fields.
We recommend that you (1) go carefully through the slides of the lectures and
workshops, keeping in mind the highlighted core issues and overall course objectives; and
(2) read the assigned related literature with the idea to reinforce the knowledge presented in
the lectures and workshops and to "place" this knowledge in a broader context.
We expect you to know definitions, basic concepts, and general contents of presented
models, interventions, etc.. We also expect you to be able to formulate substantiated
opinions and recommendations related to these presented models, interventions, etc.,
based on and integrating the presented scientific information within the various study
materials.
The mock exam questions provided demonstrate the level of detail we will request in the
exam. Please note that you (of course) do not need to know small details, such as exact
statistical test results or effect sizes. Moreover, we hope that the mock questions also
showed you that most of the questions can be answered correctly in a variety of ways.
, This document consists of summary questions and answers on:
Lectures & literature
Lecture 1: Introduction on loss and psychotrauma and its most common
psychological consequences (Mirjam van Zuiden)
Boelen & Smid (2017) - Disturbed grief: Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) and
Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD)
Stroebe, Schut & Stroebe (2007) - The health consequences of
bereavement: A review
Burback et al. (2023) - Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A
state-of-the-art Review
> Article sections 1; 2; 5.1; 5.2; 6; 7
In general: you do not need to learn the exact names of all mentioned brain structures, hormones,
pharmacological interventions, etc.
Section 2: the goal is that you gain a first understanding of the neurocognitive processes involved in PTSD
- in a general manner. You will see that each described neurobiological process is correlated with specific
PTSD symptoms, but also that each symptom can be related to multiple processes. This means specific
PTSD symptoms may develop through various processes and factors. This supports the notion that PTSD
is a complex disorder and highlights that improving intervention efficacy is challenging.
Sections 1, 5.1, 5.2 and 6 are meant to give you further insight into the complexity of PTSD, challenges in
improving treatment and/or preventive interventions, and how we may go about in tackling these
challenges and achieve further progress in the field. These sections are meant to be learnt in a more
general manner and to aid your understanding of the topics as touched upon throughout the various
lectures.
Section 7 provides a good synthesis of the article’s key messages.
Lecture 2: Theoretical approaches to grief and grieving (Maggie Stroebe)
Stroebe, Schut & Boerner (2017) - Models of coping with bereavement: An
updated overview
Lecture 3: Child, Family, and Loss and Trauma (Trudy Mooren)
Mogil et al. (2022) - A trauma-informed, family-centered, virtual home visiting
program for young children: One-year outcomes
Yohannan, Carlson & Volker (2021) - Cognitive behavioral treatments for
children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events: A meta-analysis
examining variables moderating treatment outcomes
Lecture 4: Understanding the complexity of sexual abuse: “It isn’t about the
spider or the fly. It is about the web” (Iva Bicanic)
Covers, Karst & Bicanic (2022) - Development of multidisciplinary sexual
assault centers in the Netherlands
Lecture 5: Characteristics and effectiveness of grief interventions (Henk Schut)
Johannsen et al. (2019) - Psychological interventions for grief in adults: A
systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Lecture 6: Treatment of prolonged grief in adults and children (Paul Boelen)
Boelen, vd Hout & vd Bout (2013) - Prolonged grief disorder:
Cognitive-behavioral theory and therapy
Spuij, van Londen-Huiberts & Boelen (2013) - Cognitive-Behavioral
, Therapy for prolonged grief in children: Feasibility and multiple baseline study
Lecture 7: Evidence-based psychological interventions for PTSD (Sjef
Berendsen)
Burback et al. (2023) - Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A
state-of-the-art Review
> Article sections: 3; 4; 5.4
In general: you do not need to learn the exact names of all mentioned brain structures, hormones,
pharmacological interventions, etc.
Sections 3, 4 and 5.4 are meant to help you in better understanding the information provided in lecture 7 on
PTSD treatment, but also the other lectures touching upon treatment, and can be learned as such.
(Section 7 provides a good synthesis of the article’s key messages.)
Lecture 8: Cultural diversity and trauma (Jeroen Knipscheer & Franziska
Lechner-Meichsner)
Patanè et al. (2022) - Prevalence of mental disorders in refugees and asylum
seekers: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Turrini et al. (2021) - A network meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions
for refugees and asylum seekers with PTSD
Killikelly, Bauer & Maercker (2018) - The assessment of grief in refugees
and postconflict survivors: a narrative review of etic and emic research
Workshops & literature
Workshop Sexual trauma (Simone Belt)
Dworkin et al. (2019) - Understanding PTSD and Sexual Assault
Workshop Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) (Josita Versteeg)
Neuner, Elbert & Schauer (2020) - Narrative exposure therapy for PTSD
Workshop Treatment of prolonged grief following traumatic loss (Jeroen
Knipscheer)
Boelen, vd Hout & vd Bout (2013) - Prolonged grief disorder:
Cognitive-behavioral theory and therapy
Spuij, van Londen-Huiberts & Boelen (2013) - Cognitive-Behavioral
Therapy for prolonged grief in children: Feasibility and multiple baseline study
Workshop Mourner’s social space (Anneke Vedder)
Maciejewski et al. (2022) - A micro-sociological theory of adjustment to loss
Workshop Imagery Rescripting (Franziska Lechner-Meichsner)
Lechner-Meichsner et al. (2022) - Using imagery rescripting to treat
posttraumatic stress disorder in refugees: A Case Study
Boterhoven de Haan et al. (2020) - Imagery rescripting and eye movement
desensitisation and reprocessing as treatment for adults with post-traumatic
stress disorder from childhood trauma: a Randomised clinical trial
, Main subjects are:
A. Loss
- Grief/grieving
- PGD
- Grief/PGD interventions
- Grief/PGD in children + interventions
- Grief/PGD in refugees + interventions
- Types of loneliness
B. Psychotrauma
- PTSD
- Sexual trauma
- PTSD interventions
- Psychotrauma in children + interventions
- Psychtrauma in refugees + interventions (NET/ImRs)
- Cultural diversity & cultural sensitivity in treatment
A+B. Traumatic grief
- Traumatic grief interventions
